What Is llms.txt? A Plain-English Guide for Businesses and Agencies
What llms.txt is, what it can and can't do for AI search visibility, and how to write one for a local business or client site in about 20 minutes. ·
llms.txt in one sentence
llms.txt is a plain text file you put at yourwebsite.com/llms.txt that gives AI tools a short, clean summary of who you are and which pages on your site matter most.
Think of it as a cheat sheet for robots. Your website is written for people, with menus, pop-ups and photos. llms.txt strips all of that away and says: here's the business, here's what we do, and here are the pages worth reading.
Where it came from
llms.txt is a proposed standard that was first published in 2024. It's not an official rule from Google, OpenAI or anyone else. It's a community idea that a growing number of websites have adopted, and it's simple enough that anyone can write one.
It sits next to two files you may already know: robots.txt, which tells crawlers what they're allowed to visit, and sitemap.xml, which lists every page. llms.txt is different because it's meant to be read and understood, not just followed.
What it can and can't do
Let's be honest about this, because a lot of people are overselling it. As far as we know, the big AI assistants haven't publicly committed to reading llms.txt when they decide who to recommend. Adding one won't make ChatGPT name you tomorrow.
So why bother? Because it's cheap, it can't hurt, and it forces you to write down the clear facts that AI tools need anyway. Our opinion is that the work of writing a good llms.txt is worth more than the file itself. If you can't describe your business in five plain sentences, no AI assistant can either.
- It can: give any AI tool or agent that does read it a fast, accurate summary of your business.
- It can: point to your best pages, like service pages, pricing and FAQs.
- It can: make you tighten up your own messaging.
- It can't: replace your Google Business Profile, Bing Places, reviews or service pages.
- It can't: guarantee a mention in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI answers.
What goes in an llms.txt file
The format is basic Markdown, the same style you'd use in a simple note. A good file has four parts.
- A title line with your business name, starting with a # sign.
- A one- or two-sentence summary, starting with a > sign: what you do, where and for whom.
- A few short facts: services, service area, hours, price ranges if you share them, and how to contact you.
- A list of links to your most important pages, each with a short note on what the page covers.
A simple example for a local business
Here's the outline of one for a made-up plumbing company, line by line. Swap in your own real details.
You can see a real one on our own site at getlocalaeo.com/llms.txt.
- Line 1: # Example Plumbing Co.
- Line 2: > Licensed plumbing company serving Tampa and nearby towns. Emergency repairs 24/7, water heater installs, drain cleaning and repipes for homes and small businesses.
- Then a short Services section with one line per service.
- Then a Service area line naming the cities and neighborhoods you cover.
- Then a Key pages section linking to your water heater page, drain cleaning page, pricing page, reviews page and contact page, each with a one-line note.
How to add one in about 20 minutes
- Write the summary first. Two sentences: what you do, where, and for whom.
- List your services and service area in plain words, the same way you'd say them on the phone.
- Pick your five to ten most useful pages and write one short line about each.
- Save it as a plain text file named llms.txt.
- Upload it to the root of your site so it opens at yourwebsite.com/llms.txt. On WordPress, Wix or Squarespace this may take a plugin or a quick ask to whoever manages your site.
- Make sure the name, address, phone and services match your Google Business Profile exactly. Mismatched facts confuse AI more than missing ones.
For agencies: where llms.txt fits in a client plan
If you sell AI search visibility, llms.txt is a nice quick win to include, but don't lead with it or sell it as a ranking trick. It belongs in the technical cleanup step, next to schema markup and a tidy sitemap.
The bigger wins are still listings, specific reviews, clear service pages and trusted third-party mentions. AEO is the new SEO, and in our view a lot of SEO budget is being wasted on busywork while AI search grows. Don't let llms.txt become the new busywork. Ship it in an hour, then move on to the work that actually gets clients named.
Next step
Before you write the file, find out where you stand. Run a free AEO check to see if ChatGPT names your business today, then work through the AEO deep dive for the technical side or AEO for beginners if you're just starting.
FAQ
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a plain text file at the root of a website (yourwebsite.com/llms.txt) that gives AI tools a short summary of the business and links to its most important pages.
Does llms.txt help me get recommended by ChatGPT?
Not on its own, and no one can promise it will. The big AI assistants haven't publicly committed to using it. It's a cheap, low-risk extra. Listings, reviews and clear service pages matter far more.
Is llms.txt the same as robots.txt?
No. robots.txt tells crawlers which pages they may visit. llms.txt is a readable summary that points AI tools to your best pages.
Do I need a developer to add llms.txt?
Usually not. You write it in plain text and upload it to your site's root folder. Some website builders need a plugin or a quick request to whoever manages your site.
What should a local business put in llms.txt?
Your business name, a two-sentence summary, your services, service area, hours, contact details and links to your key pages, all matching your Google Business Profile.