What is llms.txt, and does your business need one?

llms.txt is a proposed convention: a short Markdown file at the root of your website that summarizes your business and links to key pages for AI systems. It costs almost nothing to add, but do not expect it to change what any assistant says.

In plain English

It is a one-page cheat sheet about your company that you leave on your website for AI tools to read. It is a small job for whoever manages your site.

What it is

An llms.txt file lives at yourdomain.com/llms.txt. It is written in simple Markdown. It has a title, a one-paragraph summary of the business, then short lists of links to key pages, each with a few words of description. It is a proposed convention, not a formal internet standard.

What it can and cannot do

• In principle it gives a language model a clean, human-written summary, if a tool chooses to fetch it. Major AI providers have not confirmed that they read it.
• It does not guarantee that any assistant will read it, and it does not control what an assistant says.
• It is no substitute for crawlable pages, accurate listings and structured data.

It is a tidy cover sheet for your site. It does not steer what any assistant says. Do your Google Business Profile first; llms.txt is an optional extra.

What to put in it

• Your business name and a plain one-paragraph description.
• Where you operate and who you serve.
• How to contact you.
• Links to your main service, pricing, about and FAQ pages, each with a short note.
• Only facts you can stand behind. Never claim credentials, awards or results you cannot document.

How to publish it

Save the file as plain text named llms.txt and upload it to the top level of your site, so it loads at the root address. Then open the address in a browser to confirm. Update it when your services, prices or contact details change. You can see ours at swahaai.com/llms.txt.

Where it fits

Treat it as one small part of AEO alongside robots.txt access, schema markup and good content. Read what is AEO for the bigger picture.

Should you bother?

Honest answer: it is optional, cheap and unproven. Because llms.txt is a proposed convention rather than an established standard, no one can tell you it will change what an assistant says about you. Major AI providers have not confirmed that their products look for it. What it does give you is a single page, written in your own words, that states who you are and where your best pages are. Writing it forces you to decide what you want to be known for, and that is useful whether or not any tool ever reads the file.

So the sensible order is to fix the things that definitely matter first: an accurate Google Business Profile, pages that search engines can crawl, and clear answers on your site. Add llms.txt afterwards if you have a spare hour. Our overview of answer engine optimization shows where each piece fits.

A hypothetical example file

The business below is invented for illustration. The web addresses are placeholders, and every detail should be replaced with your own real information.

The proposal describes a simple Markdown layout: a title, a short summary in a quote block, then sections of links with a few words about each. For an imaginary lawn care company it could look like this:

# Example Lawn Care

> Example Lawn Care is a family-run lawn mowing and landscaping
> business serving homeowners in the Jacksonville, Florida area.

## Services

- [Lawn mowing](https://www.example.com/services/mowing/): weekly and biweekly visits
- [Landscape cleanup](https://www.example.com/services/cleanup/): seasonal cleanups and bed maintenance

## About and contact

- [About us](https://www.example.com/about/): who we are and where we work
- [Contact](https://www.example.com/contact/): phone, email and quote requests
- [FAQ](https://www.example.com/faq/): how scheduling, quotes and service areas work

Notice what it leaves out: no superlatives, no claims that cannot be checked, and no dollar figures. If you quote jobs individually, say so in a sentence and link to the page that explains how.

Step by step: writing yours

• Step 1: Pick your pages. Choose five to ten that matter most: main services, about, contact, FAQ, and any page that explains how your pricing or process works.
• Step 2: Write the summary. Two sentences. Who you are, what you do, where you work, and who you do it for. Read it aloud. If it sounds like an ad, simplify it.
• Step 3: Describe each link in a few words. Say what the visitor will find, not what you wish they thought.
• Step 4: Check every fact. Compare the file with your site and your listings. Name, phone, service area and hours should all agree.
• Step 5: Save it as plain text. Name it exactly llms.txt, in lowercase, with no hidden formatting from a word processor.
• Step 6: Upload and test. Place it at the top level of your site and open yourdomain.com/llms.txt in a browser. Click every link.
• Step 7: Put a reminder in your calendar. Review it every few months and whenever your services or contact details change.

Some sites also publish a longer companion file with more of their content in one place. That is optional, and for most small businesses a short file is plenty.

How it differs from robots.txt and schema

• robots.txt is about access. It tells crawlers which parts of your site they may or may not visit. See robots.txt for AI crawlers for how to think about it.
• Schema markup is about meaning on a single page. It labels facts such as your phone number and service area in a format machines read reliably. See schema markup for small business.
• llms.txt is about orientation. It is a human-written summary and a short list of where to look.

Only the first two are long-established and widely read by search engines. Blocking a crawler in robots.txt and then linking to your pages in llms.txt would send mixed signals, so keep the two consistent.

Common mistakes

• Expecting results. Adding the file and waiting for assistants to start recommending you will lead to disappointment.
• Writing marketing copy. Superlatives and slogans do not help anyone who is trying to understand what you do.
• Listing dozens of links. The point is a short, curated guide. A dump of every page defeats it.
• Claiming things you cannot document. No credentials, awards or results that you cannot back up.
• Letting it go stale. An old phone number or a service you no longer offer in the file is worse than no file.
• Contradicting your other pages. If the file says one thing and your site or listings say another, you have created the confusion you wanted to avoid.
• Putting private information in it. The file is public. Anyone can read it.

Checklist

• Google Business Profile accurate and verified.
• Your key pages load and can be crawled.
• A two-sentence summary that is plain and factual.
• Five to ten links, each with a short, honest description.
• Saved as plain text, named llms.txt, at the site root.
• Every link tested by hand.
• Facts matching your site, schema and listings.
• A date in your calendar to review it.

What to do this week

• Today: make sure your basics are right. Check your listing and your contact page.
• This week: draft the summary and choose your links. Ask whoever manages your site to upload the file, which is usually a small job.
• Afterwards: see whether AI assistants describe you correctly using the steps in how to measure your AI visibility, and read how AI assistants find and choose sources to keep expectations realistic.

If you would like help writing the file or checking the rest of your setup, text or call (904) 293-3040 or use the contact page. It costs nothing to ask.

Common questions

Want help putting this into practice? See our AEO, SEO and UGC service or request a free read.

This article is general information for small-business owners, not legal, financial, medical or professional advice. Rules and platform policies change; confirm anything that matters with a qualified professional.

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