llms.txt File
A standardized text file that gives AI assistants a structured summary of your website, similar to how robots.txt guides search engine crawlers.
What It Is
llms.txt is a proposed web standard — a plain-text file placed at the root of your domain (e.g. example.com/llms.txt) that provides large language models with a structured, human-readable summary of your website.
Think of it as "robots.txt for AI assistants." While robots.txt tells crawlers which pages to access, llms.txt tells AI systems what your site is about, what content it offers, and how to navigate it.
The format typically includes: - A brief description of the business or organization - Key content areas and their URLs - Product/service categories - Contact information and location - Links to important resources (FAQ, documentation, etc.)
Why It Matters for AEO
When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google Gemini about a topic you cover, the AI needs to quickly understand what your site offers. Without llms.txt, the AI has to piece together your site's purpose from scattered HTML pages — and it often gets it wrong or skips you entirely.
With llms.txt: - AI assistants can immediately understand your business scope and expertise - Your content is more likely to be cited in AI-generated answers - You control the narrative — you define how AI systems describe your business - It works from day one, unlike SEO which takes months to build authority
How to Implement
Create a file called llms.txt in your site's root directory with this structure:
``` # Example Business Name
> Brief one-line description of what the business does.
## About Two to three sentences about the business, its expertise, and what makes it unique.
## Products & Services - Category 1: Description (URL: /category-1) - Category 2: Description (URL: /category-2)
## Key Content - Blog: Expert articles about [topic] (/blog) - FAQ: Common questions answered (/faq) - Guides: In-depth resources (/guides)
## Contact - Location: City, State - Email: hello@example.com - Website: https://example.com ```
You can also create an extended version at llms-full.txt with more detailed inventory, content taxonomy, and technical specifications.
For Shopify sites, upload the file via the theme editor (Settings > Files) or host it on your CDN. For WordPress, place it in the root directory or use a plugin. For static sites, simply add it to your public folder.
Common Mistakes
- Making the file too long or verbose — AI systems prefer concise, structured summaries - Forgetting to update it when inventory or content changes significantly - Writing marketing copy instead of factual descriptions — AI systems want facts, not sales pitches - Not including URLs for key sections — the file should help AI navigate to specific content - Placing it in a subdirectory instead of the domain root — it must be at /llms.txt
External Resources
- llms-txt.org — Official specification and proposal - "Building for AI Discoverability" — Anthropic's guidelines for web publishers - Google's Search Central documentation on AI-accessible content