What Is llms.txt and Should You Use It for AI-Focused SEO?

The era of search has transformed vastly, today more than ranking on the first page of Google, it is more important to have visibility and being cited by LLMs (Large Language Model) agents like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and others. This has led to rise of new file type which now has become a new buzzword, it’s the llms.txt file.

This simple text file may not be an official standard yet, but it’s quickly becoming part of the conversation for publishers, SEOs, and website owners who want to stay relevant in the age of artificial intelligence.

So what is llms.txt, how does it work, and is it worth your attention if you’re focused on AI-driven SEO?

Let’s break it down.

What Is llms.txt?

llms.txt is a plain text Markdown file that you place at the root of your website, for example: https://yoursite.com/llms.txt.

It contains a curated list of URLs that you want large language models (LLMs) to read, prioritize, or cite. Think of it as a mini sitemap, not for Google, but for AI systems. Its purpose is to help LLMs surface your most valuable, accurate, or canonical content when users ask questions.

Where Did It Come From?

The concept of llms.txt was introduced in September 2024 by Jeremy Howard, co-founder of fast.ai. He described it as a “treasure map for LLMs,” designed to help AI tools identify trustworthy sources for generating answers.

Since then, the idea has gained attention in SEO and AI communities. While still unofficial, it serves as a voluntary signal, similar to how sitemap.xml and robots.txt once began before becoming standards in search engine optimization.

How Is It Different from robots.txt?

The key difference between robots.txt and llms.txt lies in purpose and function. robots.txt is a well-established standard that controls how search engine bots crawl and index your site, helping you restrict access to specific pages. In contrast, llms.txt is a newer, experimental file that doesn’t block anything but instead recommends specific URLs for AI models to reference. While robots.txt is about access control, llms.txt is about content visibility in AI-generated responses. It’s like telling search engines what to ignore versus telling AI what to prioritize. Both can work together for a balanced SEO and AI visibility strategy.

Feature	robots.txt	llms.txt
Purpose	Controls crawling and indexing	Recommends URLs for citation
Syntax	Technical directives	Human-readable Markdown
Used by	Search engine bots	Potentially AI tools and assistants
Opt-out mechanism	Yes	No
Standardized	Yes (since 1994)	Not yet

To summarize

• Use robots.txt to block or allow bots from crawling your site
• Use llms.txt to highlight your most important pages for AI models to cite

Is It Helpful for AI-Focused SEO?

Potentially, yes especially if your content is being surfaced or summarized by AI assistants. Here are some of the SEO-related benefits of using llms.txt:

Highlights your best content for LLMs
By listing specific URLs, you can guide AI tools toward your most authoritative content, rather than having them pull from outdated or irrelevant pages.

Improves chances of citation in AI answers
If adopted by AI developers, your site may be more likely to be credited or referenced in tools like Perplexity or ChatGPT with browsing capabilities.

Protects brand consistency
By pointing AI models to your preferred sources, you can help reduce misinformation or misrepresentation.

Positions your site for future discovery methods
As AI becomes a primary interface for search, tools like llms.txt could evolve into best practices for surfacing brand content.

Complements semantic SEO
While llms.txt doesn’t directly impact Google rankings, it supports broader content discoverability efforts.

What Does a llms.txt File Look Like?

llms.txt is written in plain Markdown format. Here is a basic example:

llms.txt for example.com

> A curated list of AI-friendly pages for citation. Contact: ai@example.com

## Key Resources
- https://example.com/product/overview
- https://example.com/blog/our-technology
- https://example.com/docs/api-reference

## Terms and Attribution
- https://example.com/legal/terms
- https://example.com/legal/ai-policy

There is no strict format. You can organize your file into sections like key resources, documentation, legal disclaimers, or brand guidelines, depending on your goals.

How to Generate and Add llms.txt

Step 1: Curate Your Best Content
Identify pages that contain factual, helpful, or product-related information. These should represent your brand clearly and be the types of content you would want AI to surface or quote.

Step 2: Create the File
Open a plain text editor such as Notepad, VS Code, or any Markdown editor. Structure your content with headings and links. Save the file as llms.txt.

Step 3: Upload It to Your Site
Use your file manager, FTP client, or hosting panel to upload llms.txt to the root directory of your website. It should be publicly accessible at https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt.

Challenges and Limitations

Before you rely on llms.txt, here are a few important limitations to consider:

1. Lack of Official Support
As of now, no major AI company (like OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic) officially supports or respects llms.txt. It remains an open proposal. Moreover, John Mueller of Google shared on Bluesky, “FWIW no AI system currently uses llms.txt.“

2. No Enforcement
Unlike robots.txt, which can prevent bots from crawling, llms.txt is advisory. There’s no way to require compliance.

3. No Analytics or Feedback Loop
There is currently no way to track which LLMs read or respect your llms.txt file. You won’t get notifications or data on how it is being used.

4. Does Not Prevent Training or Access
If your goal is to stop AI from accessing or using your content, llms.txt will not help. For that, you still need to use robots.txt with AI-specific user agents.

Best Practices for Using llms.txt

Tip	Why It Matters
Include only high-quality URLs	Helps AI focus on your most accurate or trusted content
Use clear sections and headings	Improves readability for both humans and machines
Keep it brief and focused	Avoid overwhelming the file with too many links
Combine with robots.txt	Ensure your AI access and restrictions are well-defined
Reference it in your terms or AI policy	Add legal clarity around your preferred usage

Final Thoughts: Should You Add One?

If your website plays a major role in educating, informing, or guiding users and you’re thinking about how AI tools are reshaping visibility then llms.txt is worth testing.

It may not bring immediate results, and it is not guaranteed to be respected, but it shows you are preparing for the next generation of web discovery.

Consider adding llms.txt if

• You want to guide how AI tools represent your brand
• You are investing in structured, AI-friendly content
• You are open to experimenting with future standards

You might wait if

• You need measurable impact now
• Your audience mainly comes from traditional SEO
• You already block AI bots through robots.txt

Ready to Try It?

Start by identifying five to ten high-value URLs on your site. Add them to a llms.txt file. Upload it to your server. Monitor how the AI landscape evolves and adjust as new standards emerge.

llms.txt may not be the future of SEO on its own, but it’s a step toward being part of how AI discovers, understands, and cites your content.