Keeping Your Site Seen in an AI-First World
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how we live, work, and connect. From virtual assistants like ChatGPT and Alexa to personalized recommendations and smarter online services, AI is becoming part of everyday life, and by 2030, over 80% of adults are expected to interact with it daily.
At GreenGeeks, we recognize that keeping pace with technology isn’t just important for us; it’s essential for our customers, too. As AI systems increasingly explore, summarize, and evaluate websites, it’s now just as important to consider your site’s visibility to AI as it is to search engines.
One emerging idea that supports this shift is the llms.txt file, a simple, text-based manifest designed to help large language models (LLMs) better understand website content and purpose. While not yet an official standard, llms.txt represents a forward-looking step toward making websites more accessible to AI tools, improving how they interpret, optimize, and interact with online content.
What is LLMs AI?
LLMs, or Large Language Models, are advanced AI systems trained to understand and generate human language. Similar to your phone’s text suggestions but on a much larger scale, they can write, summarize, and answer questions by recognizing patterns in vast amounts of text.
However, LLMs can struggle to interpret websites cluttered with ads or scripts. That’s where llms.txt comes in, a simple, emerging standard that helps AI systems better understand a site’s content and purpose, much like robots.txt does for search engines.
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a Markdown file (a simple text format) placed at the root of a website (e.g., example.com/llms.txt) that provides a concise, structured overview of a site’s most important content specifically designed to be easily consumed by Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
It’s similar in concept to files like robots.txt (which guides search engine crawlers), except llms.txt is meant for AI, offering a curated “map” of the content rather than crawl rules.
Why was llms.txt created?
Websites are often cluttered with ads, pop-ups, and scripts that make it hard for AI to find meaningful content. The llms.txt file helps by directing AI tools to key information like product pages, documentation, or policies.
This ensures AI systems understand your site accurately and present it effectively when people search for your business through AI-driven tools.
What does an llms.txt file look like?
An llms.txt file isn’t an official standard yet, so there’s no single “right” format, but the idea is to make it simple, human-readable, and AI-friendly, like how robots.txt works.
There are two types of llms.txt file you can create.
If you’re a newbie and just want to protect or control your content:
Use the robots.txt-style llms.txt (Option 1 – the control file). This version is easy: you just put rules like allow or disallow for AI crawlers.
Example:
User-Agent: GPTBotDisallow: /User-Agent: ClaudeBotAllow: /
- Means block OpenAI’s GPTBot, but allow Claude to crawl.
- Simple, safe, and what most website owners will want at first.
If you want to promote your site to AI assistants:
Use the “guide-style llms.txt” (Option 2 – the site summary). This version is like a mini sitemap or brochure for AI models.
A typical llms.txt might contain:
# My Website Name> A short summary of what the site is about
## Key Resources- [Getting Started Guide](https://example.com/start): Overview of setup steps.
– [API Reference](https://example.com/api): Detailed API docs.
## Optional- [Blog](https://example.com/blog): For deeper reads and updates.
- Title: A top-line identifier (#)
- Summary: A short description (>)
- Sections: Grouped links organized under clear headings (##)
- Optional content: Secondary links marked separately
The llms.txt file provides AI systems with clear context and key resources to help them understand a website’s purpose and structure. Similar to how robots.txt guides search engines, llms.txt aims to guide Large Language Models (LLMs).
Unlike sitemap.xml, which focuses on page indexing, llms.txt helps manage how AI accesses and interprets content or restricts it if needed. Though not yet an official standard, adopting llms.txt early can help website owners protect their data, strengthen their brand, and prepare for the AI-driven future.
Written by: Gie Bulanon
