llms.txt explained: what it is and whether you need one

llms.txt is a proposed standard: a plain-text (Markdown) file at the root of your website that gives AI tools a short, curated overview of your site. It was proposed in 2024 and has been adopted by a number of documentation sites for developer tools.

What goes in it

A title, a one-or-two sentence summary, and short lists of links with notes: your services, key pages, contact details and anything an assistant should know before it answers a question about you.

Does it help you get recommended?

Honest answer: nobody has shown that it does. Google’s search representatives have said Google Search doesn’t use it, and the major AI providers have not announced that their search products read it when ranking or choosing sources. Some AI agents and developer tools do look for it, particularly when browsing documentation. For a local business, the evidence of benefit is thin.

So should you make one?

It takes ten minutes and costs nothing, so there is little downside, but put it after the things that matter more:

1. Let search and AI crawlers in (guide).
2. Add structured data about your business (generator).
3. Complete and connect your Google Business Profile (checklist).
4. Then add an llms.txt.

A caution

Be wary of anyone selling llms.txt as the secret to AI visibility. It isn’t. We include it in the scan as an informational item and give it very little weight for that reason.