What Is llms.txt, and Does Your Business Website Need One?
llms.txt is a plain-text file that tells AI assistants what your business is and which pages matter. What goes in it, how it differs from robots.txt and sitemaps, and how to add one to your website.
Your website was built for people and for search engines. A growing share of its visitors are now neither: they're AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, reading your pages to answer someone's question.
llms.txt is a simple way to help them understand you.
What llms.txt is
llms.txt is a plain-text file, written in Markdown, placed at the root of your website, for example yourbusiness.com/llms.txt. It gives AI systems a short, clean summary of who you are and links to your most important pages.
The idea was proposed in 2024 as a standard for helping large language models (LLMs) read websites. Websites are full of menus, scripts, pop-ups and design that make it harder for an AI to find the facts. llms.txt cuts through that.
What goes in it
A typical llms.txt has:
- Your name, as a heading.
- A one-paragraph summary: what you are, where, for whom.
- Key facts: founder, location, contact details, what you do and don't do.
- Sections of links to your important pages, each with a short description: services, about, case studies, guides.
- An optional section for less important pages.
Some sites also publish llms-full.txt: a longer file with the full text of key pages in one place, so an AI can read everything without visiting each page.
You can see ours at mediawura.com/llms.txt and the full version at mediawura.com/llms-full.txt.
How it differs from robots.txt and sitemaps
| File | What it does | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| robots.txt | Says which pages crawlers may or may not visit | Search engines and AI crawlers |
| sitemap.xml | Lists every page so it can be found and indexed | Search engines |
| llms.txt | Summarises who you are and points to the pages that matter | AI assistants and LLMs |
They work together. robots.txt controls access. The sitemap lists everything. llms.txt explains what matters.
Does it actually help?
Honestly: it's still early. llms.txt isn't an official standard that every AI company has committed to, and no one can promise it changes what ChatGPT says about you.
But it's cheap to add, it can't hurt, and it forces you to write down the clear, consistent facts about your business that matter for AI visibility anyway. See generative engine optimisation.
Check your robots.txt first
Before worrying about llms.txt, make sure you're not blocking AI crawlers. Some websites, often by accident, block bots such as GPTBot (OpenAI), ClaudeBot (Anthropic), PerplexityBot and Google-Extended. If they can't read your site, they can't recommend you.
Look at yourbusiness.com/robots.txt. If you see "Disallow: /" under any of those names, and you want to be found by AI, change it.
How to add llms.txt to your website
- Write it. Start with a heading, a summary paragraph, then lists of links with short descriptions.
- Keep facts identical to your website, Google Business Profile and social media.
- Upload it to the root of your site so it's available at /llms.txt.
- Update it whenever you add services or important pages. Better still, generate it automatically from your website's content, as we do, so it never goes out of date.
On WordPress, Wix and Shopify, there are plugins and settings for adding files at the root. On a custom site, your developer can add it in minutes.
A short example
# Kofi's SolarKofi's Solar installs solar power systems for homes and small businesses in Accra and Tema, Ghana. Founded in 2019. Five-year warranty on every installation.## Services- Home solar installation: systems for homes, installed in one day- Business solar: systems for shops, offices and clinics## Company- About: who we are, our team and certifications- Contact: free quote on WhatsAppCommon questions
Will llms.txt get me recommended by ChatGPT?
Not on its own. It helps AI read your site. Being recommended also depends on reviews, mentions, consistent facts and useful content. See how to get recommended by ChatGPT.
Is llms.txt the same as blocking AI?
No. It's the opposite: it helps AI understand your site. Blocking is done in robots.txt.
Can you set this up for us?
Yes. llms.txt, robots.txt, structured data and AI visibility checks are part of our AI search optimisation service.