THE SHORT ANSWER
llms.txt is a short plain-text file at the root of your website (yourbusiness.com/llms.txt) that gives AI tools a clean summary of who you are and links to your most important pages. It was proposed as an open standard in 2024. It’s quick to add and does no harm, but it isn’t a magic switch: no major AI company has confirmed it uses llms.txt to decide which businesses to recommend.
What goes inside one
It’s written in Markdown, the simple formatting language. A business version usually has four parts:
- A heading with your business name.
- A one or two sentence summary of what you do and for whom.
- Your key pages, each with a link and a short description.
- Optional extras: your facts page, pricing, policies and contact details.
Why it was proposed
Web pages are full of menus, pop-ups, scripts and design. That’s fine for people, but it makes it harder for AI tools to pull out the facts that matter.
llms.txt offers a tidy summary in one predictable place, a bit like a map at the entrance of a building.
Will it help you get recommended?
Honestly: it might help a little, and it can’t hurt. Some AI tools and developer tools read it. But no major AI company has publicly said it uses llms.txt when ranking or recommending businesses.
Treat it as good housekeeping, not a strategy. The things that move the needle are clear pages, consistent facts and proof from other sites.
Think of llms.txt as a business card for AI tools. Useful to have, but nobody hires you because of the card alone.
How to create one in four steps
- List the five to ten pages that best explain your business.
- Write one sentence describing each page in plain English.
- Put it together in Markdown, with your name as the heading and a short summary underneath.
- Upload it as llms.txt to the root of your site and check it opens in a browser.
What matters more than llms.txt
- Making sure your robots.txt isn’t accidentally blocking the AI crawlers you want to reach you.
- A facts page that states your key details clearly.
- Service pages that open with a direct answer.
- Matching details on your Google Business Profile, LinkedIn and directories.
- Reviews and mentions on sites AI tools already trust.
Key takeaways
Common questions
No. robots.txt tells crawlers what they may or may not visit. llms.txt is a summary of your content for AI tools to read.