How to Set Up llms.txt

What is llms.txt?

llms.txt is a plain text file placed at your website root (yoursite.com/llms.txt). It describes your site to large language models. Think of it as a human-readable sitemap built for AI crawlers. While robots.txt tells bots what they can access, llms.txt tells them what your site is about, which pages matter most, and how your content is structured.

The format was proposed in late 2024 and has gained traction through 2025 and 2026. It is not an official standard, but AI platforms increasingly recognise it as a useful signal.

What to include

A good llms.txt file covers four elements. A site description explaining what your organisation does. A list of your most important pages with brief summaries. Your content categories or topic areas. Any specific guidance for AI engines, such as preferred citation format or licensing.

• Site description: One to three sentences explaining who you are and what you do
• Key pages: Your most important URLs with one-line descriptions
• Content structure: How your site is organised (blog, guides, tools, etc.)
• AI guidance: Optional notes on how you would like to be cited or referenced

Example llms.txt format

# Site: Example Company
# Description: UK-based B2B software company specialising in project management tools for construction firms.

## Key Pages
- /: Homepage - overview of our project management platform
- /features/: Full feature list and comparison with competitors
- /pricing/: Current pricing tiers and enterprise options
- /blog/: Industry insights and product updates
- /case-studies/: Customer success stories with measurable outcomes

## Content Areas
- Project management best practices
- Construction industry technology
- Team collaboration and productivity
- Regulatory compliance for UK construction

## Citation Guidance
- Preferred company name: "Example Company" (not "Example Co" or "EC")
- Key spokesperson: Jane Smith, CEO

Where to put it

Place llms.txt in your site's public root directory so it is accessible at yoursite.com/llms.txt. In most frameworks:

• Astro: Add it to public/llms.txt
• Next.js: Add it to public/llms.txt
• WordPress: Upload to your root directory via FTP, or use a plugin that allows static file placement
• Shopify: Add via the theme editor under Assets, or use a redirect rule

Some sites also create an llms-full.txt with more detailed content summaries. This extended version can include paragraph-level descriptions of key pages rather than one-line summaries.

Does it actually help?

The evidence is thin. SE Ranking's large-scale study found zero correlation between having llms.txt and being cited in AI search results. The factors that do correlate are YouTube presence (0.737), content freshness, structured data, and crawler access. llms.txt will not get you cited if the fundamentals are missing.

That said, it takes ten minutes to create and costs nothing. It helps AI crawlers understand your site structure. As AI search matures, machine-readable site descriptions may become more important. Think of it like meta descriptions in early Google: not a ranking factor, but useful for comprehension.

What matters more

Before spending time on llms.txt, make sure you have the basics covered:

• AI crawlers are not blocked in your robots.txt - check our AI crawler directory
• Your site is properly structured for AI crawlers with clear headings, schema markup, and logical content hierarchy
• Organisation schema is implemented on your homepage
• Your content is genuinely useful and regularly updated

Once those foundations are in place, adding llms.txt is a sensible next step. Just do not expect it to be the thing that transforms your AI visibility. For tools that help you track your progress, see our AI search tools comparison.