What is the LLMs.txt file? Does it Really Help with AI Snippets?
AI tools are everywhere, aren’t they? And if you’re a business owner, content writer, or SEO specialist, this change can feel a little overwhelming. After all, you’ve worked hard to create original content, and now AI tools are using pieces of it to answer questions, often without users even clicking through to your site. This means less traffic, fewer leads, and possibly less revenue for your business.
So, you must be thinking: “How can I control how AI Tools Use My Content?”
The answer is – you can do that with the help of LLMs.txt! It can help AI tools like Google Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT to understand your website content clearly and guide readers to your site directly! But there’s more to the story, and that’s what we will cover in this blog for you!
If you want to create AI-friendly content and optimize your SEO strategies accordingly, you can keep reading this blog!
What is the LLMs.txt File?
You can think of LLMs.txt as a file format that several AI companies are starting to recognize. The AI tools that you use do their job by using Large Language Models (LLMs), and the file format LLMs.txt can help these AI tools to understand which part of your website they can use and which parts they should stay away from.
You can picture it like a guidebook that can tell the AI tools which pages actually matter and why.
You have probably heard how robots.txt can tell any search engines about what they can and can’t crawl, right? You can think of LLMs.txt to function in a similar way – to help AI models pull or use your website’s content.
| Just so you know, Large Language Models are advanced types of AI systems that learn from tons of online texts and data to understand your questions and give answers in a natural and human tone for you to understand. You can see these types of AI systems everywhere – ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google Gemini, and more. |
How Does LLMs.txt Actually Work?
Usually, your website works with the help of HTML, which structures your page from start to finish. But have you ever looked at the HTML code yourself? If you said “yes,” then you already know how cluttered it can be.
You might see stuff like ads, navigation menus, pop-ups, and other flashy design elements to make your website appealing to readers.
Does it help AI to get to know your webpage? Well, no! But with LLMs.txt, this problem will be over before you know it!
It’ll use a clean, human-readable text format that the AI tools can easily understand. So, when you remove the clutter caused by HTML, you can help LLMs focus on your website content better. Although traditional tools such as robots.txt and sitemaps may help search engines with crawling your web page and indexing it, those are not AI-friendly.
But with LLMs.txt, you can ensure that –
- You’re giving a proper path for AI to understand your main content.
- There is less risk of errors and incomplete summaries.
- You have robots.txt (blocking out access) and sitemaps (which provide a list of pages) to tell the AI system what is most valuable, as well as how it is organized.
| Boost Your Rankings with Proven SEO – Contact Us Today! |
Why is the LLMs.txt File Format Important?
It’s not 2010, when we need to rely on Google for answering the basic, complex, or even the silliest questions we have in our minds. We can, instead, use AI tools to get our answers quickly and accurately.
Now, even Google’s own algorithm prefers AI-based answers! By using AI tools, people are getting more complete and useful answers directly in small snippets without having to go through any website.
And if you have a website to manage, you need to know how using the file format -LLMs.txt – can help you take back control!
- It allows you to protect your original piece of work and prevent the AI models from summarizing or using your content without permission.
- With this file format, you can keep your sensitive data away and hidden from the AI systems.
- You may also encourage your readers to visit your site instead of reading just AI snips!
- You can ensure that AI systems give you proper credit when they use parts of your content in the answers.
- Another tactic that you can use by employing this file format is to restrict AI to use some components of your content and pay more attention to other modules of your content.
What Google Says About LLMs.txt
Probably, one of the first questions that came to your mind after you heard about LLMs.txt file is – what’s Google’s take on it? Well, Google isn’t interested in your LLMs.txt files at all. In a recent event, Garry Illyes clearly said that ranking in AI Overviews has nothing to do with LLMs.txt.
So, if you need your content to appear there, you’ll just need to follow your old SEO tactics, and you’ll be good to go. Googlebot still continues to crawl your website and index it in the same way it has always been, and that’s how it powers AI Overviews, too.
But this doesn’t mean other AI engines aren’t crawling your files regularly!
Limitations of LLMs.txt (What You Should Know)
Before you start using LLMs.txt, you should also be aware of the challenges you might face in the future. LLMs.txt is in its early stages, so many AI platforms are still figuring out how to (or if they should) adopt it properly.
So, you can face the following limitations when it comes to using this file format for your website!
- It Works on Trust: Just like robots.txt, it only works if AI systems respect the guidelines you set. Malicious bots can bypass it, so you won’t be able to protect your content in such scenarios.
- Anyone Can Use Your Content: If anyone wants to use your website content for their own articles or blogs, they can do so without giving any credit to your site. This can increase competition for the same keywords and can make it more difficult for your original content to stand out.
- It won’t Replace Your SEO Strategies: You’ll still need to pay attention to your SEO strategies, sitemaps, and other technical aspects. Having an LLMs.txt file can support your existing SEO tactics, but it is not gonna be the ultimate magical solution for better rankings!
- Needs for Regular Updates: You’ll need to review and edit your LLMs.txt file to keep it accurate. If you have the same outdated instructions, AI can get confused and won’t prioritize your content!
- May Not Drive More Visitors: Your site could still miss out on actual clicks even if AI provides users with your site’s reference. It won’t guarantee you more organic traffic.
How Will LLMs.txt Affect Your SEO and AI Snippets?
If you have LLMs.txt included in your website, it won’t directly change your SEO rankings. But this does not mean that it won’t affect your website at all! It can help you protect your brand, control what type of content you need for more visibility, and help you position your website properly for future growth.
This is how you can use the LLMs.txt file format to your advantage!
-
It Can Increase Your Visibility in AI Search
By using LLMs.txt, you can help AI models use your most important content in AI-generated answers. And this can help increase your overall website visibility and engagement.
-
It can Ensure Your Website’s Up-to-Date Content is shared
You can control what Google Gemini, ChatGPT, or any other tool says about your business by pointing them to the most reliable and updated information on your website. This way, you can build your brand reputation and attract more audience to your website.
-
You Can Make Sure That AI References Your Website Properly
When you use the LLMs.txt file format, you can invite more organic traffic to your website by ensuring that AI tools have no problem accessing or understanding your website content easily.
-
It Can Help Your SEO in the Long-Term
What if Google drops an algorithm in the future where search engines start respecting LLMs.txt for ranking websites? You can avoid such uncertainties by just using this file format on your site early on.
-
You Can Install and Update It Quickly
It’s easy to install, as you just need to create a simple LLMs.txt file and upload it to your current website’s root directory. And if you want to update it, you can do it quickly by adjusting your content permissions anytime you want!
This can give you more control over your website and provide you with flexibility to optimize your SEO strategies in a hassle-free way! But if you need help or have any doubts, it’s best to contact a SEO Company for expert advice.
| Looking For a Reliable Local SEO? Contact Velocity Media Lab Today |
Should You Abandon Robots.txt and Switch to LLMs.txt?
Absolutely not! With LLMs.txt, you won’t be able to replace robots.txt, but it can help complement the latter. Robots.txt has been the standard for decades in helping search engine crawlers, and that has not changed with the introduction of LLMs.txt.
It can still control how your website is indexed just like before. But now, LLMs.txt will focus on AI models and how they can use your content in their summaries. And if you want your business website to attract more users, you’ll need both of them working together in your favor to optimize your site.
Here’s why you need to use both – Robots.txt and LLMs.txt!
| Point | Why |
| They Have Different Functions | Robots.txt will manage your search engine crawl your site, and LLMs.txt will focus on AI-driven tools. |
| Search Engines Still Depend On Robots.txt | Google and other search engines use it daily to decide which pages to index. |
| LLMs.txt is New | You won’t find all AI tools using or supporting LLMs.txt files as of now, so if you stop using robots.txt, it can affect your site’s visibility. |
| Your Site’s SEO Will Depend on Both | If you stop using robots.txt, it can cause indexing issues with your website. |
| Future Updates Might Use Both LLMs.txt and Robots.txt. | AI and search engines are evolving, so if you use both, it’ll keep you prepared for future updates that might include the applications of both – LLMs.txt and Robots.txt. |
How to Create and Add LLMs.txt to Your Website?
You can add an LLMs.txt file to your website quite easily! If you’re already familiar with creating a robots.txt file, then this process will be easier and known to you. This is how you can do it step-by-step.
Step 1: Create a Plain Text File
Your first step would be to open a text editor like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Max) and then save your file with the llms.txt extension. You need to ensure the extension is .txt instead of “.rtf” or “.doc.”
Step 2: Include It To Your Directives
Your next step is to write instructions for AI models about how they can use your content. You should also structure these instructions in Markdown, as it’s easier for AI tools to read and follow. If your website contains blogs, then it’ll be something like –
#Allowed Content
Allow: /blog/
#Disallowed Content
Disallow: /private-data/
Also, you can make sure to add more instructions about which pages AI systems should summarize and which pages they shouldn’t.
Step 3: Upload The File To Your Site’s Root Directory.
You can upload the llms.txt file to your website’s root directory by using an FTP client like FileZilla. You can also use your hosting provider’s file manager for the uploading process. Your final URL should look like –
https://www.yourwebsite.com/llms.txt
Step 4: Check The File
Make sure that your file is publicly accessible by visiting its URL in a browser. You can also copy the contents into ChatGPT and ask about your company to see how correct AI’s answers are. If needed, you can update the file whenever you publish new content to the site.
How to Create Llms.txt in WordPress?
If your website runs on WordPress, adding LLMs.txt files will be easy and simple! You can add and manage files directly from your dashboard with the help of a plugin!
- Create Your File: You’ll need to create your llms.txt file with proper Markdown formatting and appropriate directives.
- Upload Through the File Manager: You need to access the file manager using your hosting provider’s control panel and then upload the file to your site’s root directory.
- Use an FTP Client: You can also connect your site with an FTP client and keep your file in the root folder.
- Check with a Plugin: Plugins like File Manager or All in One WP Security can help you upload and manage files within WordPress.
Also, after you’ve uploaded the file, always check it by visiting www.yourwebsite.com/llms.txt to make sure everything is working fine.
SEO Optimization Techniques Needed for Adaptation to LLMs.txt Files
If you want to keep up with the ever-changing world of AI search, you’ll need to grow with it, learn, and adopt new techniques as well. When you’re simply setting up LLMs.txt files, it won’t be enough! You’ll need to modify your SEO strategies as well.
- Prioritize Your Most Important Blogs/Landing Pages: You’ll need to focus on pages that can do well and ensure they’re properly listed as “Allowed” in your LLMs.txt file.
- Make Your Content Clear and Structured: Having blogs with proper answers to most frequently asked questions by readers and structuring the page in a user-friendly way can help AI tools to understand and even prioritize your content.
- Keeping Content Updated: When you’re adding blogs and other content to your website, always check your llms.txt file format to make sure everything is accurate so that AI tools don’t face any problem in accessing your content.
- Continue with Your Existing SEO Practices: If you ignore sitemaps, meta tags, and robots.txt and instead focus entirely on llms.txt, search engines won’t index your site effectively!
- Ask AI Tools About Your Website: You can ask ChatGPT, Claude, and other tools about your website and business services to see if AI is understanding your website or not. Then, you can adjust your file as needed!
When you’re using the best SEO practices along with setting up proper llms.txt files in your business website, AI will keep your brand visible to your customers!
Also, you can contact a local SEO Company that can help you ensure your website is fully optimized for the upcoming 2026 SEO and AI updates!
| Dominate Search Results with Our Expert SEO – Call Us |
Takeaway
With LLMs.txt files, you can have more control over how ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI tools access and use your website content. Although it won’t impact your Google rankings at all (as Google AI Overviews don’t recognize this file format), it can help improve your brand visibility in AI-generated snippets.
Also, you can ensure that AI represents the most important pages of your website properly. You can use this file format along with robots.txt or your existing SEO strategies to help your website reach greater heights!
Read More About:
Turn Clicks into Customers with Velocity Media Lab’s Local SEO in Sacramento
With decades of experience in the SEO world, Velocity Media Lab is the name you can trust for expert digital marketing solutions in Sacramento. Our SEO specialists can ensure your business website always stays on Page 1.
While our content team can generate high-quality and SEO-friendly content, our web team can ensure your website stays AI-friendly using the llms.txt file format. We’re a local SEO company in Sacramento that you can rely on no matter what.
We have already worked with several local companies, including spa centres, law firms, patio cover, HVAC, plumbing, and pest control companies, providing them with outstanding SEO results. So, call us now at (916) 472-4143.
Frequently Asked Question
1. Does LLMs.txt support partial content permissions?
Yes, absolutely! You can allow specific pages or directories and limit other pages. You can also add instructions about which part of your content AI should focus on.
2. What file size limits should I keep in mind?
There’s no size limit that you need to follow for your LLMs.txt files. But it’s better if you keep it small, usually under a few hundred KB to ensure AI tools can read your content faster.
3. Can I add summaries or context in LLMs.txt?
Of course, you can! Adding summaries and context in Markdown can help AI systems understand your content better!
4. Does it work with APIs and headless websites?
Yes, it works with headless websites and API-driven setups as long as it’s in the root directory and publicly accessible.