llms.txt for SEO: Will It Help AI Models Cite Your Website?

When AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity need to answer a question, they often pull information from websites in real-time. But there's a problem: these AI models have limited context windows and struggle to process complex HTML, navigation menus, ads, and JavaScript to find your actual content.

llms.txt is a proposed standard that aims to solve this. It's a simple markdown file at your website's root that provides AI models with a clear, structured guide to your most important content. Think of it as a roadmap designed specifically for AI to understand your site quickly during inference (when they're answering user questions).

Important to know upfront: llms.txt is still experimental. No major AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) has officially confirmed they use it. However, thousands of sites including Anthropic, Cloudflare, and Vercel have adopted it, betting on its potential future value. This guide explains what it is, how it works, and whether it's worth implementing.

What Is llms.txt?

llms.txt is a proposed markdown file standard that lives at the root of your website (at /llms.txt). Created by Jeremy Howard in September 2024, it provides a clear, structured summary designed to help large language models understand your website during inference time.

Important distinction: Unlike robots.txt (which traditional search engines like Google and Bing actually read and respect), llms.txt is NOT used by search engines. It's designed for the moment when an AI model is answering a user's question and needs to quickly understand your site's content. Traditional search engines like Google and Bing do not read or use llms.txt files.

Why Do AI Models Need llms.txt?

AI models face several challenges when trying to understand websites:

• Context window limitations: AI models can only process a limited amount of text at once, so they can't read your entire website
• HTML complexity: Modern websites have navigation menus, ads, JavaScript, and other elements that make it hard to extract the actual content
• Information overload: AI models need to quickly identify what's important on your site versus what's supplementary
• No clear structure: Without guidance, AI has to guess which pages matter most

An llms.txt file solves these problems by giving AI models a clear, concise overview and directing them to your most important resources.

How llms.txt Could Help AI Models Cite Your Website

Here's the theory behind llms.txt: When AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity answer questions, they pull information from the web at inference time. If they check for and read your llms.txt file, here's how it could help:

• Quick understanding: The AI could read your llms.txt first to instantly grasp what your site offers
• Accurate context: Your summary could help the AI determine if your content is relevant
• Easy navigation: The file points to your best pages, potentially increasing citation chances
• Better attribution: Clear descriptions could help AI cite your content more accurately

What Goes in an llms.txt File?

The llms.txt specification is flexible but follows a simple structure. Here are the key components:

Required Elements

1. Project name (H1 heading)

Start with your website or project name in a markdown H1 heading:

# Your Website Name

2. Brief summary (blockquote)

A short, one-sentence description of what your site does:

> A comprehensive SEO analysis tool that helps websites rank better in AI-powered search results.

Optional But Recommended Elements

3. Detailed description

A paragraph or two providing more context about your site, your expertise, and what visitors will find:

We help businesses optimize their websites for both traditional search engines and AI models like ChatGPT and Claude.
Our tools analyze content quality, technical SEO, and AI-readiness.

4. Documentation links

List your most important pages with descriptions:

## Documentation
- [Getting Started Guide](https://example.com/docs/getting-started): Complete setup walkthrough for new users
- [API Reference](https://example.com/docs/api): Full API documentation with code examples
- [Best Practices](https://example.com/docs/best-practices): Expert tips for optimization

How to Create Your llms.txt File

Creating an llms.txt file is straightforward. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Write Your Content

Create a markdown file with this structure:

# Your Website Name

> One-sentence description of what your site offers

## About

Two or three paragraphs explaining:
- What your website does
- Who it's for
- What makes your content valuable

## Key Resources

- [Resource Name](URL): Brief description
- [Another Resource](URL): Brief description
- [Documentation](URL): Brief description

## Additional Sections (Optional)

You can add sections like:
- Tutorials
- Blog Posts
- Case Studies
- Tools

Step 2: Optimize for AI Understanding

Write in a clear, straightforward style:

• Use plain language: Avoid jargon and marketing speak
• Be specific: Tell AI exactly what each resource contains
• Prioritize important content: List your best resources first
• Keep it concise: AI models appreciate brevity
• Update regularly: Keep the file current with new content

Step 3: Place the File on Your Website

Save your file as llms.txt and place it in your website's root directory so it's accessible at:

https://yourwebsite.com/llms.txt

The exact method depends on your setup:

• Static sites: Add the file to your public or static folder
• WordPress: Upload to your root directory via FTP or hosting file manager
• Next.js: Add to your public folder
• Other platforms: Check documentation for serving static files

Step 4: Test and Verify

Visit https://yourwebsite.com/llms.txt in your browser to confirm it's accessible.

Real-World llms.txt Examples

Here's what an llms.txt file might look like for different types of websites:

Example 1: SaaS Product

# RankSight AI

> An AI-powered SEO analysis tool that helps websites optimize for both search engines and AI models

## About

RankSight AI analyzes your website's SEO performance with a focus on modern AI-powered search.
We evaluate content quality, technical factors, and how well your site works with AI models like
ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.

Our tool provides actionable recommendations to improve rankings in both traditional search
results and AI-generated answers.

## Documentation

- [Quick Start Guide](https://ranksightai.com/docs/quickstart): Get started in 5 minutes
- [SEO Analysis Features](https://ranksightai.com/features): Comprehensive SEO audit capabilities
- [AI Optimization Guide](https://ranksightai.com/guide): How to optimize for AI citations

## Resources

- [Blog](https://ranksightai.com/blog): SEO strategies and AI search trends
- [API Documentation](https://ranksightai.com/api): Integrate our analysis into your workflow

Example 2: Documentation Site

# FastAPI Documentation

> Modern, fast web framework for building APIs with Python based on standard type hints

## About

FastAPI is a modern Python web framework designed for building APIs quickly with automatic
interactive documentation. It's built on standard Python type hints and provides high
performance comparable to NodeJS and Go.

## Core Documentation

- [Tutorial](https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/tutorial/): Step-by-step guide to build your first API
- [User Guide](https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/user-guide/): In-depth features and functionality
- [Advanced Topics](https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/advanced/): Performance optimization and deployment
- [API Reference](https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/reference/): Complete API documentation

Best Practices for llms.txt

To get the most value from your llms.txt file, follow these best practices:

Content Best Practices

• Front-load important information: Put your most valuable content links first
• Use descriptive link text: Help AI understand what each link contains
• Be truthful and accurate: Don't exaggerate what your site offers
• Focus on substance: Link to pages with real information, not marketing fluff
• Keep it updated: Review and update quarterly as your site evolves

Technical Best Practices

• Use markdown format: Plain text markdown is easiest for AI to parse
• Keep it under 2000 words: Remember AI models have context limits
• Test accessibility: Make sure the file loads quickly and isn't blocked by robots.txt
• Use absolute URLs: Full URLs are clearer than relative paths

Strategic Best Practices

• Align with your expertise: Focus on topics where you have unique knowledge
• Link to evergreen content: Point to content that stays relevant over time
• Consider your audience: Think about what questions your target users ask AI
• Complement other SEO efforts: Use llms.txt alongside traditional SEO, not instead of it

Beyond the Basics: Advanced llms.txt Strategies

Once you have a basic llms.txt file in place, consider these advanced approaches:

Organize by Topic

If your site covers multiple topics, organize your resources into clear sections:

## SEO Guides
- [Technical SEO](URL): Server-side optimization
- [Content SEO](URL): Writing for search engines

## AI Optimization
- [AI Citations](URL): Getting cited by AI models
- [AI-Friendly Content](URL): Writing for LLMs

Highlight Recent Updates

Add a section for recent or important content:

## Recent Updates
- [2025 SEO Trends](URL): Latest search algorithm changes
- [New Feature Launch](URL): Announcement and guide

Link to Different Formats

Include various content types that AI can process:

• Written guides and documentation
• Video transcripts
• API references
• Code examples
• Case studies

Should You Implement llms.txt?

Given the uncertainty around llms.txt, here's a practical framework for deciding:

Implement llms.txt if:

• You run a documentation site or technical resource
• You want to be early to potentially valuable standards
• You have 30-60 minutes to create and upload the file
• Your content is already high-quality and well-structured

Skip it (for now) if:

• You haven't optimized basic SEO yet
• Your content quality needs improvement first
• You're expecting immediate traffic or ranking gains
• You prefer to wait for official AI provider support

Common llms.txt Mistakes to Avoid

Don't let these common errors reduce the effectiveness of your llms.txt file:

• Too much content: A 5000-word llms.txt defeats the purpose. Keep it focused.
• Marketing speak: AI models prefer factual descriptions over promotional language
• Broken links: Double-check all URLs before publishing
• Vague descriptions: "Learn more" doesn't help AI understand what's at the link
• Forgetting to update: An outdated llms.txt with old content is worse than none
• Wrong file location: It must be at the root domain, not in a subdirectory
• Wrong format: Use markdown (.txt), not HTML or other formats

The Future of llms.txt: Uncertain But Promising

The llms.txt standard gained significant momentum in November 2024 when Mintlify added support across all documentation sites it hosts. Overnight, thousands of sites including Anthropic, Cursor, Cloudflare, and Vercel adopted it. Directories like llmstxt.site now catalog sites using the standard.

However, the future remains uncertain. AI providers face a real concern: llms.txt files are easy to manipulate compared to actual HTML content, which could tilt AI outputs unfairly. This is why major platforms remain cautious about officially supporting it.

The realistic outlook: llms.txt might become widely adopted if major AI providers announce support, or it might fade away like the keywords meta tag. Several platforms offer tools to auto-generate llms.txt from documentation, making it low-effort to implement. The community continues refining best practices, but treat it as an experiment, not a guaranteed visibility strategy.

Key Takeaways

Here's what you need to remember about llms.txt:

• It's a proposed standard, not an established one - no major AI provider officially uses it yet
• Designed for inference time, when AI models answer questions, not for traditional search engines
• Simple to implement - just a markdown file with your site name, description, and key page links
• Low risk, uncertain reward - won't hurt your site, but don't expect immediate visibility gains
• Thousands have adopted it including major tech companies, betting on potential future value
• Place it at your root domain so it's accessible at yourwebsite.com/llms.txt
• Focus on quality content first - llms.txt is supplementary, not a replacement for good SEO

Next Steps: Should You Create an llms.txt File?

If you've decided to implement llms.txt, creating one takes less than an hour:

• Write a one-sentence description of your website
• List your 5-10 most important pages or resources
• Write brief, clear descriptions for each link
• Create your llms.txt file in markdown format
• Upload it to your website root directory
• Test by visiting yourwebsite.com/llms.txt
• Monitor server logs to see if any bots access it
• Review and update when your content significantly changes

Remember: llms.txt is a low-effort, potentially high-reward experiment. Don't expect immediate results, but if AI providers do adopt this standard, you'll be ready. Focus your primary efforts on creating quality content, solid technical SEO, and genuine expertise that AI models will want to cite, with or without an llms.txt file.

Article by: Busara Saelim, SEO Content Strategist
Published: November 10, 2025
Last updated: November 10, 2025