Definition
The `llms.txt` file is a proposed web standard (analogous to `robots.txt` but designed for AI language models rather than web crawlers) that lets website owners describe their site's purpose, content structure, and key pages in a format optimized for LLM consumption. It lives at `yoursite.com/llms.txt`.
Where robots.txt tells bots what they *can* crawl, llms.txt tells AI models what they *should know* about your site — including descriptions of products, services, key content sections, and brand identity. Some AI systems actively fetch and use this file when generating answers about a site.
Why It Matters
As AI models increasingly use web content to answer questions about businesses, having a well-structured llms.txt file ensures the model receives accurate, controlled context about your brand before it synthesizes an answer. It's one of the easiest AI readiness wins available.
Examples
- Placing llms.txt at https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt
- Listing your core pages with descriptions
- Explaining your brand, product, and audience
- Using markdown formatting for clear section hierarchy