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Summary
We will first answer your query, i.e., what is LLMs.txt and then proceed further.
LLMs.txt is a proposed file format that helps website owners specify which content should be available for large language models (LLMs) to reference, cite, or summarize.
Much like how robots.txt directs search engine bots, LLMs.txt informs AI systems what content is AI-friendly and ready for discovery.
Read to know more about LLM SEO…
Key Takeaways
Ø LLMs.txt is a new AI-first content indexing standard.
Ø It helps increase visibility in AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Ø It’s not a replacement for SEO but a powerful addition to your digital strategy.
Ø What is llms.txt files, how to use them and their benefits are all covered in this blog.
Table of Contents
⤷ What was LLMs.txt created for?
⤷ How is LLMs.txt boosting Content Visibility for AI searches?
⤷ LLMs.txt Friendly Content Marketing
⤷ Best Tools to Craft LLMs.txt File
⤷ Best Practices for Generating an LLMs.txt
As the internet transitions into the AI-first era, content discoverability is undergoing a massive shift.
Traditional search engines like Google are no longer the only gateways to online visibility.
Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude are now major players in how users access & consume information.
When SEO experts are juggling between GEO, AEO, AIO, SXO and more to power up their SEO campaigns, Wildnet brings you another edition to the AI SEO world, i.e., LLMs.txt.
Think of it as the SEO blueprint for the age of generative AI.
A new file standard designed to guide AI models to the right content and improve content visibility in AI-powered search.
A few facts about LLMs
- The global LLM market reached USD 6.4 billion in 2024 and is expected to cross USD 259.82 billion by 2030.
- In 2025, almost 750 million apps will use LLMs (large language models).
- 88% of the users have stated that LLMs have helped them improve the quality of their work.
- 60% of the clients of Bank of America depend upon LLMs for financial advice.
- The top LLMs and their features are as follows:
Top LLMs and their features [Source: Future Skills]
What is LLMs.txt?
LLMs.txt is a plain text file that sits at the root of your domain (e.g., example.com/llms.txt).
It acts as a guide for large language models by telling them:
- Which pages to cite or summarize?
- Which links offer EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)?
- What content is safe to include during AI inference?
It’s not about blocking AI entirely but about structuring & spotlighting your most useful, shareable, and reference-ready content.
It should not be replaced by robots.txt or vice versa, and neither should it have all the web pages of your website.
It is designed specifically to help AIs reach a website’s AI-first pages.
What was LLMs.txt created for?
The web was designed for human readers and search engine bots.
But LLMs interact with content differently. They summarize, extract, and remix data at scale.
Without a clear guide like LLMs.txt, they may skip over high-quality resources or include outdated information.
As James Gray, VP Digital Marketing, puts it, LLMs.txt is “a treasure map for AI”, helping the AIs find gold-standard and up-to-date sources worth citing.
How is LLMs.txt becoming the Next Big Thing in the AI Era?
OpenAI crawling rules are becoming strict, and thus, websites are adapting themselves to match them.
And this AI optimization was confusing; only some of the brands got it right because it needs AI-ready marketers.
LLMs.txt gives marketers and web developers a proactive way towards AI-readiness.
It does it via,
- Controlling what AIs see and cite
- Protecting proprietary content
- Gaining visibility in tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity
LLMs.txt is already being adopted by major platforms like Anthropic and OpenAI.
Just as robots.txt became standard for search bots in the ’90s, LLMs.txt is fast becoming the protocol for AI.
How is LLMs.txt boosting Content Visibility for AI searches?
AI-powered searches don’t rely on keywords in the same way Google does.
They look for high-quality, well-structured, and frequently cited content.
A properly crafted LLMs.txt file
- Guides AI crawlers to your best content.
- Boosts chances of being referenced in LLM outputs.
- Adds semantic clarity to your site structure.
It’s a win-win as users get reliable sources, and publishers gain visibility in the new AI search paradigm.
LLMs.txt vs robots.txt vs sitemap.xml: What is the difference?
Knowing the difference between the three will help SEO folks choose the right options for the task at hand.
| llms.txt | robots.txt | sitemap.xml | |
| Launched in | 2025 | 1994 | 2005 |
| Function | To help AIs find AI-friendly content | Allow & prevent the access for search engine crawlers | It helps Search engines to know all the pages of a website. |
| Use cases | Featuring in AI search results | Indexing Management of website | Freshness & Crawl prioritization |
LLMs.txt vs robots.txt vs sitemap.xml
We hope it has cleared your confusion, if any.
How does LLMs.txt work?
Here’s how llms.txt works; you start with its structure.
Structure of LLMs.txt
How to Structure an LLMs.txt file?
Follow the below-mentioned points to structure your llms.txt well.
- Single H1 heading (project or site name)
- Blockquote (>) for a short summary of the links
- Paragraphs or lists to provide links
- One or maybe two H2 headings to help categorize the links
- Keep an Optional (H2) heading (for optional links)
- Use one or two H2s for categories (e.g., SEO, AI, Case Studies).
- Keep it lean, i.e., only include high-value and updated content.
Your llms.txt file should look like this…
Example of an llms.txt
A sample LLMs.txt
This format helps AI tools understand what content is authoritative, updated, and relevant for their responses.
LLMs.txt Friendly Content Marketing
6 steps to check whether a content is ready for LLMs.txt or not.
The content that you are linking in your llms.txt file must have the following attributes.
- Small and easily Scannable paragraphs
- Headings with clear Hierarchy
- Lists, Bullet points & Tables
- Be on Point when naming a Topic
- Minimal Pop-ups & Overlays
- Semantic Cues
In short, only link those web pages which are AI-ready.
Best Tools to Craft LLMs.txt File
The below-mentioned tools are the best when it comes to automated LLMs.txt file creation.
Mintlify
It helps in automatically crafting both the llms-full.txt and llms.txt for the currently hosted web pages.
llmstxt from dotenvx’s
It utilizes your website’s sitemap.xml file to generate an llms.txt file.
Firecrawl’s llmstxt
It scrapes your website via the Firecrawl technology to garner llms.txt.
LLMs.txt Generator from WordLift
It is a user-friendly tool that helps in generating llms.txt easily and quickly.
Best Practices for Generating an LLMs.txt
By following the best practices listed below, your efforts will be fruitful in the first or second attempts.
LLMs.txt Best Practices
Keep it Short
Don’t add any unnecessary explanation.
Use Clear Descriptions
Because clear descriptions increase the chances of getting your web content featured in AI results.
Ensure Consistency
Consistency is the key to early results.
Regular Updates
The links that are added into the llms.txt file must have the latest content, and the content marketers have to ensure that.
EEAT-assuring Links
AIs adore EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness), so help them by adding only EEAT-assuring links in llms.txt.
Don’t include your Homepage
Most of the homepages are designed by marketing teams, which does not match the AI preferences.
So, try to avoid adding the homepages.
Place it in the Root Directory
The llms.txt file should be added in the root directory for best results.
With these steps and best practices, you are all set to experiment with llms.txt.
How does the Future of SEO look with LLMs.txt?
SEO isn’t dying; it’s evolving.
Traditional keyword-based strategies will co-exist with AI-friendly tactics.
In the next few years, you can expect:
- More platforms to adopt LLMs.txt as a standard.
- AI search results to prioritize well-structured and LLMs.txt-listed content.
- Publishers to optimize for both Google and generative AI tools.
LLMs.txt is not a silver bullet but a powerful signal in your AI SEO arsenal.
Conclusion
As the web becomes increasingly AI-driven, content creators and marketers must evolve.
LLMs.txt is a lightweight but impactful solution that bridges the gap between human-readable pages and machine-readable value.
By reading this blog, you are fully equipped to answer what is LLMs.txt and brag about being on top of things.
And if you embrace it early, you’ll stay ahead in the race of AI SEO for a long-long time.
Wildnet Technologies is a leading digital marketing company that enriches its clients’ online presences via AI SEO (llms.txt), SXO, AEO and many more SEO techniques.
Need a contractual SEO expert? We are here.
If you like to read more,
> Forget Just SEO: Use SXO, AEO, GEO & AIO for Full Visibility
> How AI SEO is Transforming the BFSI Sector in 2025?
> Wildnet’s Digital Yum (our weekly newsletter from the thought leadership’s desk about the latest in digital space)
Connect with us at info@wildnettechnologies.com and get your website an LLMs.txt file now.
FAQs
FAQ 1: Can you tell some real-world use cases of LLMs.txt?
Ans: Perplexity, OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Google) and other AIs use llms.txt for the best web crawling.
FAQ 2: Is LLMs.txt the same as or similar to robots.txt?
Ans: No, they are not at all similar. Because llms.txt can never block the crawlers, while robots.txt can.
And the purpose of llms.txt is to garner AI visibility, while that of robots.txt is to control the indexing of web pages.
One more thing: robots.txt can block AI crawlers, too.
FAQ 3: Is LLMs.txt the latest Standard for AI Technical SEO?
Ans: No, it’s not a standard, but it can become a standard operating procedure (SOP) once its feasibility has been tested over a longer period of time.
FAQ 4: Are there any Free Tools to make LLMs.txt?
Ans: Yes, there are a few free tools that can help with llms.txt creation.
- Website LLMs is a WordPress plugin, and it simply needs you to set its crawler to “Pages”, “Posts” or both.
- Markdowner helps in creating website content that are well-structured markdown files.
- You can always create an llms.txt file manually as well.
FAQ 5: What are the benefits of using LLMs.txt?
Ans: Here are some of the benefits of using the llms.txt file:
- Better Resource Utilization for LLMs
- Content Owners can dictate which Content gets AI visibility
- Numerous GEO & SEO benefits like Protect proprietary content, Brand reputation management, better content analysis and more.
- Improved AI Interaction
- Heightened Content Visibility
