What is llms.txt and does your website need one?
- llms.txt is a Markdown file placed in the root of a website that tells AI models what is on the site.
- It is a proposed convention, not an official standard, and no search engine has committed to using it.
- Creating the file is light work, so it is worth doing as part of the groundwork for AI visibility.
llms.txt is a text file that summarises a website’s content in a form AI models can read. It is placed in the root of the site, much like robots.txt, and briefly tells who is behind the site and which pages are the most important. This article explains what the file contains and whether it is worth creating.
What does llms.txt contain?
The file is written in Markdown. It has a title, a short description and lists of links to the most important pages with explanations. Often a more extensive llms-full.txt is also created, containing the full text content of the pages.
How does llms.txt differ from robots.txt and a sitemap?
| File | Purpose | Reader |
|---|---|---|
| robots.txt | Says what may be crawled | Search engine and AI bots |
| sitemap.xml | Lists all pages that can be indexed | Search engines |
| llms.txt | Summarises the most important content with explanations | AI models and agents |
robots.txt restricts and the sitemap lists, but llms.txt explains. It is a human-written summary of what the company does and where the answers can be found.
Is llms.txt worth creating?
llms.txt is a proposed convention, not a standard, and no major search engine or AI service has promised to use it. Creating the file is light work, however, and it forces you to write a clear description of the company. You need that same text for AI visibility anyway.
More important than any single file, though, is that the site’s content clearly answers customers’ questions, the structured data is in order and AI bots can read the site.
Read more in visibility in AI search and see our SEO and GEO service.
FAQ
What is llms.txt?
It is a Markdown file placed in the root of a website that summarises the site’s most important content in a form AI models can read.
Does Google use llms.txt?
Google has not announced that it uses it. It is a proposed convention that some AI tools and agents make use of.
Can llms.txt be created for WordPress?
Yes. The file can be written by hand or generated automatically from the site’s content, so it is always up to date.
