What Is an llms.txt File and How Do I Create One?
By Linh, Digital Strategist at ILIA
Key takeaway
An llms.txt file is a plain-text file placed at the root of your website that gives AI engines a clean, structured summary of your business and most important pages — much like robots.txt does for search crawlers. Creating one is simple and helps AI search engines understand, trust, and accurately represent your business.
An llms.txt file is a plain-text file you place at the root of your website (at yourdomain.com/llms.txt) that gives AI engines a clear, concise summary of who you are and what your key pages contain. As AI search engines increasingly read and cite websites, llms.txt is emerging as a simple way to help them understand you correctly.
Why llms.txt matters
AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews work best with content they can easily parse and trust. An llms.txt file hands them a curated, plain-text overview of your business and important URLs, reducing the chance they misunderstand or overlook you. Think of it as a friendly map for AI systems.
What goes in an llms.txt file
- A short description of your business and what you do.
- Links to your most important pages, each with a brief summary.
- Key services or products you want AI engines to know about.
- Optional context such as your location and who you serve.
How to create an llms.txt file
- 1Write a plain-text file that opens with your business name and a one-line summary.
- 2Add short sections linking to your key pages, each with a sentence of context.
- 3Keep it concise, accurate, and consistent with the rest of your site.
- 4Save it as llms.txt and publish it at the root of your domain.
- 5Update it whenever your services or key pages change.
llms.txt is to AI engines what robots.txt is to search crawlers — a simple file that makes you easier to understand.
Does llms.txt guarantee AI visibility?
No single file guarantees citations. llms.txt is one helpful signal among many — it works best alongside answer-first content, structured data, consistent business details, and credible third-party mentions. Together, these make your business the kind of source AI engines confidently cite.
The bottom line
An llms.txt file is a low-effort, high-clarity addition to your AI search strategy. Create a concise, accurate summary of your business and key pages, publish it at your domain root, and keep it current — it's a simple step toward being understood and cited by AI engines.
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Frequently asked questions
Where do I put my llms.txt file?
Place it at the root of your domain so it's accessible at yourdomain.com/llms.txt, the same way robots.txt is served. This is where AI engines and tools expect to find it.
Is llms.txt an official standard?
llms.txt is an emerging, community-driven convention rather than a formal mandated standard. It's low-cost to implement and increasingly recognised, making it a sensible addition while AI search practices evolve.
Do I need technical skills to create an llms.txt file?
Not much. It's a simple plain-text file, so you mainly need to write a clear summary and list your key pages. Publishing it requires access to your website's root directory, which a developer can help with if needed.
How is llms.txt different from robots.txt?
robots.txt tells search crawlers which pages they may crawl, while llms.txt gives AI engines a plain-text summary of your business and key content to help them understand and represent you accurately. They serve different but complementary purposes.
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