When an AI tool visits your website, it reads whatever it can find. Your homepage, your about page, your blog posts, your footer. It doesn't know which parts are most important. It doesn't know which pages represent your core services versus an outdated promotion from two years ago. It just reads everything and tries to figure it out.
There's a file you can add to your website that changes this. It gives AI tools a direct set of instructions: here's what my business does, here's what matters most on this site, here's where to find the best information. Think of it as a welcome note written specifically for AI visitors.
That file is called llms.txt.
The Short Version
llms.txt is a plain text file that sits on your website and tells AI tools what to focus on. It's similar to a file called robots.txt that tells search engines which pages to crawl but llms.txt is specifically for AI language models. It describes your business, points AI to your most important pages, and helps ensure AI tools understand your site correctly rather than guessing.
| What llms.txt does | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Describes your business in plain language | AI gets accurate info about who you are without interpreting your marketing copy |
| Points to your most important pages | AI focuses on your best content instead of reading everything equally |
| Tells AI what you do and who you serve | Reduces wrong or incomplete descriptions in AI responses |
| Signals that your site is AI-ready | Shows AI tools your business is actively managing its AI presence |
Why This File Matters for Getting Recommended
AI tools are making recommendations about businesses every day based on what they've read across the internet. If the information on your website is hard to interpret buried in marketing language, scattered across dozens of pages, or competing with outdated content AI has to guess what your business actually does and who it serves.
Guesses lead to incomplete descriptions. Incomplete descriptions lead to less confident recommendations. Less confident recommendations mean your competitors get named instead.
An llms.txt file short-circuits that process. Instead of asking AI to infer your business from your homepage copy, you hand it a clear, structured summary. Here's what we do. Here's who we serve. Here's where to find the full details.
It takes about 30 minutes to write. Most businesses haven't done it yet, which means doing it now puts you ahead of almost everyone in your category.
What Goes In an llms.txt File
The file is written in plain text no code, no formatting, just clear sentences and links. Here's the basic structure:
A one to two sentence description of your business This should describe what your business does, who it serves, and where it operates. Be specific. "Full-service financial planning for pre-retirees and retirees in the Denver metro area" is useful. "Providing excellent financial services to our valued clients" is not.
Your most important pages, with brief descriptions List the pages that best represent your business your services page, your about page, your FAQ page, your key blog posts. For each one, include the URL and a one-sentence description of what that page covers.
Any context AI should know that isn't obvious from your website This might include the types of clients you work best with, specializations that aren't obvious from your service list, or any distinctions that set you apart from competitors in the same category.
A Real Example
Here's what a llms.txt file might look like for a physical therapy clinic in Austin:
# Lakeside Physical Therapy Austin, TX
Lakeside Physical Therapy provides outpatient physical therapy services in Austin, Texas, specializing in orthopedic injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, and sports performance for active adults and athletes.
## Key pages
- /services: Full list of conditions treated and services offered
- /about: Background on our licensed physical therapists and clinic philosophy
- /faq: Common questions about physical therapy, insurance, and what to expect at your first visit
- /blog: Educational articles on injury prevention, recovery, and movement health
## Who we serve
Adults recovering from orthopedic surgery, athletes with sports injuries, and active people dealing with chronic pain or movement limitations. We work with most major insurance plans and also offer self-pay options.
## Location and contact
123 Main Street, Austin, TX 78701
Phone: (512) 555-0100
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7am to 6pm
That's the whole file. Plain text, clear descriptions, direct links. An AI tool reading this immediately knows what the business does, who it serves, where to find more information, and how to contact them.
Where the File Goes and How to Add It
The file lives at the root of your website the same level as your homepage. If your website is yourbusiness.com, the file would be at yourbusiness.com/llms.txt.
On WordPress: You can upload the file directly through your hosting provider's file manager, or ask your developer to add it to the root directory.
On Squarespace: Squarespace doesn't currently allow custom files at the root level through the standard interface. Your developer can typically add it through DNS or a redirect workaround.
On Wix: Similar to Squarespace requires a developer approach or a workaround through Wix's Velo development environment.
On Showit or custom sites: Your developer can add it directly to the root directory in a few minutes.
If you're not sure how to add it yourself, this is a task most web developers can handle in under 15 minutes. It's worth asking.
How to Write Yours
Start with these three sentences and build from there:
- "[Business Name] is a [type of business] serving [who you serve] in [where you operate]."
- "We specialize in [your specific focus or differentiator]."
- "Our most important pages are [page 1], [page 2], and [page 3]."
Then add your key page URLs with one-line descriptions, any context that helps AI understand your business more accurately, and your location and contact information.
The whole file should be under 500 words. The goal is clarity, not comprehensiveness. You're not trying to replace your website. You're giving AI a clear starting point so it doesn't have to guess.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is llms.txt? llms.txt is a plain text file added to a website that gives AI language models a clear, structured summary of what the business does and where to find its most important information. The name comes from "large language models," which is the technical term for AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. The file works similarly to robots.txt, which gives instructions to search engine crawlers, but is written specifically for AI tools rather than search engines.
Does llms.txt actually help with AI recommendations? It helps by reducing the chances that AI misidentifies or incompletely describes your business. AI tools that read an llms.txt file have a clearer, more accurate starting point than tools that have to interpret your marketing copy and guess what's most important. It won't override other factors like reviews and website content, but it reduces friction and makes it easier for AI to build an accurate picture of your business.
Where does llms.txt go on my website? The file goes at the root level of your website domain, making it accessible at yourdomain.com/llms.txt. It should not be inside a folder or subdirectory. If you can navigate to yourdomain.com/llms.txt and see the file contents, it's in the right place.
What should my llms.txt say? It should describe your business in one to two specific sentences, list your most important pages with brief descriptions, explain who you serve and what makes your business distinct, and include your location and contact information. The file should be written in plain text, not in code or formatting syntax. Keep it under 500 words and focused on the information that would help someone understand your business quickly and accurately.
Do I need a developer to add this file? On most platforms, yes at least to get the file into the right location. The writing itself requires no technical skill. You write the file in any text editor as a plain .txt document, then a developer adds it to the right place on your server. On some hosting setups, you can do it yourself through a file manager. It's a small task that typically takes a developer under 15 minutes.
Is llms.txt an official standard? llms.txt was proposed as an informal standard and has been adopted by a growing number of websites and AI tools, but it is not currently enforced or required by any major AI platform. That said, several AI companies have begun reading the file when it exists, and its adoption is growing as more businesses become aware of it. Adding it is low-effort and has no downside.
Most AI tools visit your website and have to piece together who you are from whatever content they find. An llms.txt file gives them a direct answer instead of making them guess. It's one of the simplest things you can add to your site and one of the least-used which means doing it now puts you ahead of almost everyone in your category.
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