llms.txt is a plain-text file at your domain root that tells AI systems, in clear language, who you are and which pages matter. It's low-effort and worth adding as part of an AEO setup — but it's one small signal, not a shortcut. Real AI visibility still comes from schema, entity authority, and answer-ready content.
You've probably heard of robots.txt. A newer file, llms.txt, is being adopted to help AI systems understand a website's key content. Here's what it is, what it does (and doesn't do), and whether your business should add one.
What is llms.txt?
An llms.txt file is a plain-text (Markdown) file placed at your domain root — yoursite.com/llms.txt — that describes, in clear language, who you are, what you do, your key pages, and your main content. The idea is to give AI systems a concise, curated summary of your site so they can understand and reference it more accurately.
How it differs from robots.txt and sitemap.xml
- robots.txt tells crawlers what they may or may not access.
- sitemap.xml lists your URLs for search engines to discover.
- llms.txt explains, in human-readable prose, what your site is about and which pages matter — aimed at AI systems rather than traditional crawlers.
Where llms.txt fits
flowchart LR
R[robots.txt
what to crawl] --> SITE([Your site])
SM[sitemap.xml
list of URLs] --> SITE
LL[llms.txt
what you do, in plain words] --> AI([AI systems
understand you])
SITE --> AI
style LL fill:#1a2800,stroke:#C8FF00,color:#C8FF00
style AI fill:#111,stroke:#C8FF00,color:#E8E8E8
What goes in an llms.txt file
- Your business name and a short description
- Your main services and key pages (with links)
- Important blog posts or resources
- A contact or lead page
- Clear, concise notes on what you do
Keep it accurate and free of fake claims or private information. It should reflect live, indexable pages only.
Should your website have one?
It's low-effort and low-risk, so for most businesses investing in AI visibility, yes — it's a sensible part of an AEO and AI SEO setup. Be realistic about impact, though: llms.txt is an emerging convention, not yet universally used by AI systems, and adding it won't single-handedly get you cited. It complements — not replaces — the real drivers: entity authority, schema, and answer-ready content.
Honest take: llms.txt is worth adding as part of a broader strategy, but treat it as one small signal among many. The heavy lifting for AI visibility still comes from your content structure, schema, and entity authority.
How to add one
Create a Markdown file named llms.txt, write the sections above in plain language, and upload it to your site's public root so it's reachable at yoursite.com/llms.txt. Update it whenever you add important pages. If you want help setting up llms.txt alongside schema and entity signals, that's part of GEO and AEO services. Related: schema markup for AI search.