llms.txt is a plain text file at the root of a website that gives AI systems a short summary of the site and links to its most useful pages. It is a proposed convention, and we found no confirmation that Google Search uses it. It costs an hour to add and does no harm, so add one after the basics, and do not expect it to change rankings.
Semrush's site audit flagged our agency site for having no llms.txt file. That sent us to find out what it is, write one and see what has been said about whether it works. This is what we found, including the part where the evidence is thin.
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposal for a plain text file placed at the root of a website, at /llms.txt, that describes the site for language models in a compact form. Where robots.txt tells crawlers what they may fetch and a sitemap lists every page, llms.txt is meant to be a short human-readable guide: who you are, and which pages matter most. The proposal is published at llmstxt.org.
What does an llms.txt file look like?
The proposed format is simple Markdown:
# Your Business Name
> One or two sentences saying what the business does and where.
## Services
- [Service page](https://example.com/service): what it covers.
## Proof of work
- [Case study](https://example.com/case): the result, in numbers.
## Notes for AI systems
- Any rules, such as which figures belong to which client.
There is a title, a short summary, sections of links with one-line descriptions, and optionally notes. That is all.
What does our llms.txt contain?
You can read it at safarspectrum.com/llms.txt. It has a two-sentence summary of the agency and where it is based, links to About, Contact and Industries, the five service pages, our case studies and portfolio, and the blog. We also added two notes for machines: that every figure on the site comes from our managed ad accounts and is labelled per client, so one client's numbers should not be applied to another industry, and that placeholder portfolio pages should not be cited.
The second note matters most. AI systems tend to blend numbers, and a plain instruction to keep client figures separate is a cheap safeguard for a business that publishes real results.
Do AI systems actually use llms.txt?
This is where honesty helps. When we searched for the answer, the coverage was split. Some SEO tools and publishers recommend it, and some write-ups report that Google has said it does not use the file for Search. We found no confirmation from Google that its search ranking or AI Overviews read llms.txt, and we found no controlled study proving that having one increases citations. Some documentation platforms and SEO plugins can generate the file automatically, which is part of why it is spreading.
So the accurate position is that it is a proposed convention with growing adoption and unproven effect for ordinary business sites. We have not measured any change from adding ours and would not claim one.
What is clear is adoption among competitors. In a September 2026 check of 31 competing agency websites across Rajkot, Gujarat and India, 15 had an llms.txt file, several of them long files that look plugin-generated. Adoption is not evidence that the file works, and it does not tell you that it changes what an AI system says. It does mean the file has become ordinary for agencies, so its absence now shows up as a gap in audits like the one that flagged our site.
Should a small business add one?
Yes, but late. It takes about an hour, it does not harm, and it forces you to write a clear summary of the business, which is useful anyway. It should come after the things with proven effect:
- Pages that answer questions directly, near the top.
- Structured data, described in schema markup for a local business in India.
- A verified Google Business Profile with reviews.
- Consistent name, address and services across the web.
If you are weighing priorities, SEO vs AEO vs GEO shows the order. For how to check whether AI tools mention you, see how to measure if AI is recommending your business.
How do you create and publish one?
- Write the summary first, in plain sentences, with your location and what you sell.
- List only your most useful pages, each with a one-line description.
- Add notes on anything AI systems could get wrong about you.
- Save it as
llms.txtin UTF-8 and place it at the site root so it opens at yourdomain.com/llms.txt. - Update it when you add a major page or service.
What should you leave out of llms.txt?
Anything you would not want quoted on its own. That means placeholder or thin pages, claims you cannot prove, prices that change often and figures without their context. The file is a shortlist of your best pages, so a link should be there only if you would be happy for an AI system to send someone to it. If a number matters, attach the client or the period to it in the description, as we do with case-study figures, so the number cannot be detached from what it measured.
Key Takeaways
- llms.txt is a plain text file at the site root that summarises a site for AI systems, using a simple Markdown format.
- We found no confirmation that Google Search uses it, and no proof that it raises AI citations for ordinary sites.
- It takes about an hour and does no harm, so add one after answer-first pages, structured data and reviews.
- Use the notes section for rules such as keeping each client's figures separate.
- Do not expect a ranking or traffic change from it.
Before You Ask
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposed plain text file placed at the root of a website that gives AI systems a short, human-readable summary of the site and links to its most useful pages. It follows a simple Markdown format with a title, a short summary and sections of links. It is described at llmstxt.org. Unlike robots.txt, it does not control access, and unlike a sitemap it does not list every page.
Does my website need an llms.txt file?
It is optional. It takes about an hour, does no harm and forces you to write a clear summary of the business. We found no confirmation that Google Search uses it and no controlled proof that it increases AI citations, so add it after the basics: answer-first pages, structured data, a verified Google Business Profile and consistent business details. Do not expect a ranking change.
Where do I put the llms.txt file?
At the root of your domain so that it opens at yourdomain.com/llms.txt, saved as plain UTF-8 text. On most hosting that means placing the file in the same folder as your homepage. Then open the address in a browser to confirm it loads. Keep it short, list only your most useful pages and update it when you add a major service or page.
*Safar Spectrum Media added its own llms.txt in September 2026 after a site audit flagged it missing. We have not measured any effect from adding it. Statements about what AI systems do or do not read reflect what we could find at the time and may change.
Related: AEO & GEO agency in Rajkot