What is llms.txt and what goes in it?
llms.txt is a proposed plain-text file at the root of a website that summarises the site for large language models and points them to its most useful pages. The format is markdown: an H1 with the name, a blockquote summary, an optional paragraph, then H2 sections of links with one-line notes. Write the summary the way you would answer “what is this business?” in one breath — what you are, where, for whom — because that sentence is the most liftable thing in the file.
Is llms.txt worth adding?
It costs ten minutes and hurts nothing. But as of 2026 no major assistant — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Perplexity — has confirmed reading it, and our audit of real small-business sites found no visibility difference between sites with and without one. Add it, then spend the real effort on what assistants demonstrably read: pages that open with an answer, question-shaped headings, structured data, and crawlers that are actually allowed in. The full verdict.
What should you do after uploading it?
Check that https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt returns the file as plain text, then run the free GEO audit: it scores the six things that decide whether an AI can find, read and cite you, and lists the fixes.
Frequently asked questions
What should an llms.txt file contain?
An H1 with your name, a blockquote with a one-sentence summary of what you are, where and for whom, an optional short paragraph, then H2 sections listing your most useful pages as markdown links with a one-line note each. Keep it under a screen: it is a map for a model, not a copy of the site.
Where do I put llms.txt?
At the root of your domain, so it is served at https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt as plain text. On Shopify, Wix or Squarespace that usually means uploading it as a file and adding a redirect or a static route; on a self-hosted site, drop it next to robots.txt.
Does llms.txt improve AI visibility?
Not measurably yet. No major assistant has confirmed reading it, and our study of real small-business sites found no visibility difference for sites that have one. It is harmless and quick; the pages it points to — readable, answer-first, structured — are what actually get cited.
Is llms.txt the same as robots.txt?
No. robots.txt is an enforced standard that tells crawlers where they may not go; llms.txt is a voluntary summary that suggests where models might look. Only robots.txt is obeyed, so use the robots.txt generator for access decisions.
Updated 2026-09-08.