How to Set Up llms.txt on Your Website

How to Set Up llms.txt on Your Website

The llms.txt file is an emerging standard that helps AI models understand your website's content structure. Similar to how robots.txt guides web crawlers and sitemap.xml helps search engines discover pages, llms.txt provides AI models with a structured overview of your site's most important content.

What Is llms.txt?

The llms.txt file is a plain text file placed at the root of your domain (yoursite.com/llms.txt) that provides AI language models with a structured summary of your website. It includes your site's title and description, key content sections, important pages, and how your content is organized.

This file helps AI models quickly understand what your site is about, which pages contain the most valuable information, and how to interpret your content structure.

Step 1: Plan Your Content Map

Before creating the file, identify your most important content. List your top 10-20 pages that represent your brand's core value proposition, key product or service pages, most authoritative content pieces, FAQ and help documentation, and about and contact pages.

Step 2: Create the File

Create a file named llms.txt in your site's root directory. The format uses Markdown-like syntax with clear section headers. Start with your site title as a heading, add a brief description, then list key sections with links and descriptions.

The file should begin with your brand name as a top-level heading, followed by a brief sentence explaining what your company does. Then organize your content into sections with descriptive links. Include a section for documentation or guides if applicable, another for key product pages, and sections for any other important content areas.

Step 3: Create llms-full.txt (Optional)

For comprehensive AI indexing, you can also create llms-full.txt which includes the complete text content of your key pages. This file is larger but provides AI models with direct access to your content without needing to crawl individual pages.

Step 4: Deploy and Test

Place the file at your domain root so it is accessible at yoursite.com/llms.txt. Verify it is accessible via browser. Ensure it is not blocked by robots.txt. Test that the formatting is correct and all links work.

Step 5: Maintain and Update

Update your llms.txt whenever you add significant new content, restructure your site, change product offerings, or publish important new research. Regular updates ensure AI models have current information about your site.

Best Practices

Keep descriptions concise but informative. Prioritize your most important and authoritative pages. Use clear, descriptive titles for each linked page. Include only public, non-gated content. Update the file alongside major content changes.

How Citerna Uses llms.txt

Citerna checks for the presence and quality of your llms.txt file as part of its AI visibility audit. A well-structured llms.txt file can improve how AI models understand and cite your content. Citerna also monitors whether AI models are actually referencing content listed in your llms.txt.

Adoption and Industry Support

The llms.txt standard is gaining rapid adoption. Major platforms and content management systems are adding native support. While not all AI models currently use llms.txt, implementing it positions your site for increasing AI model support and demonstrates forward-thinking digital strategy.