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llms.txt File

Detects the presence of /llms.txt, an emerging standard that provides AI models with a structured description of your site and content.

Why It Matters for AI Visibility

The llms.txt file is an emerging standard that lets you communicate directly with AI crawlers about your site. Think of it as robots.txt for the AI era -- while robots.txt tells search engine crawlers which pages to access, llms.txt tells AI models what your site is about, which pages matter most, and how you prefer to be cited. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI engines are beginning to look for this file at your site's root URL. When it exists, they get a structured summary of your site without needing to crawl and interpret every page. This is especially valuable for large sites where AI crawlers may only visit a fraction of your pages. Without an llms.txt file, AI engines piece together your site's identity from whatever pages they happen to crawl. With one, you control the narrative: your site name, your core topics, your most important pages, and your preferred citation format are all spelled out in a single, machine-readable file. It takes 15 minutes to create and gives AI models a clear roadmap for understanding and citing your content.

How We Score It

This factor uses binary scoring. If your site has a /llms.txt file with content, you score a perfect 10. If the file is missing or empty, you score 0. There are no intermediate scores. The analyzer fetches /llms.txt from your site root and checks two things: does the file exist (returns a 200 status, not a 404), and does it contain content (at least one non-empty line). The report includes the file's line count, character count, and a preview of the first five lines so you can verify the content is correct. This is one of the simplest factors to fix -- create a single text file, add it to your site root, and your score goes from 0 to 10 immediately.
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How to Improve

  • 1

    Create a /llms.txt file at your site root

    Place a plain text file at https://yoursite.com/llms.txt -- the same root-level location pattern as robots.txt, favicon.ico, and sitemap.xml. Any web server or hosting platform supports serving static files from the root directory. The file just needs to exist and contain text.

  • 2

    Include your site name, purpose, and primary topics

    Start the file with a clear site identifier and a one-line description of what your site does. Then list the main topics or content categories you cover. This gives AI models an instant understanding of your site's scope without needing to crawl multiple pages.

  • 3

    List your most important pages with brief descriptions

    Include URLs of your key pages -- landing pages, pillar content, product pages, documentation entry points -- with a short description of each. This acts as a curated sitemap for AI engines, directing them to the content you most want cited.

  • 4

    Specify your preferred citation format

    Tell AI models how you want to be referenced. Include your brand name, site URL, and any attribution preferences. While AI engines are not obligated to follow this, providing a clear citation format increases the chance of accurate attribution when they reference your content.

  • 5

    Keep the file updated as your site evolves

    Add new key pages when you publish important content. Remove pages that are deprecated or redirected. The file should reflect your site's current state. Since the analyzer checks for presence only, even a minimal update keeps your perfect score while ensuring AI engines have accurate information.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is llms.txt and who created the standard?

llms.txt is a proposed standard for providing AI models with a structured description of your website, similar to how robots.txt communicates with search engine crawlers. It was created by Jeremy Howard and the community around AI-friendly web standards. The format uses markdown-like syntax and is placed at your site's root URL.

Where do I put the llms.txt file?

Place it at your site's root: https://yoursite.com/llms.txt. This follows the same convention as robots.txt and sitemap.xml. Most hosting platforms (Vercel, Netlify, AWS, traditional web servers) support serving static files from the root directory. In Next.js, place it in the public/ folder.

What should I include in my llms.txt file?

At minimum, include your site name and a brief description. For a comprehensive file, add sections for key pages (with URLs and descriptions), content categories, and your preferred citation format. The file uses a markdown-like structure with headings, blockquotes for descriptions, and linked lists for pages.

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