How to Write an llms.txt File (Step-by-Step + Template)

/llms.txt is a plain-text file at your website root that summarizes your brand and key pages for AI crawlers. It is the highest-weight signal in BrandCitation's technical GEO audit — worth 25 of 100 readiness points.

Think of it as a machine-readable "about this site" document optimized for LLMs.

Why llms.txt matters

AI crawlers and answer engines need to quickly understand:

What your company does
Which pages are most important
Where to find product, docs, and authority content

Without /llms.txt, AI systems rely on scraping your homepage and guessing structure. With it, you provide an explicit map.

File location

Place the file at:

https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt

For Next.js apps, put it in public/llms.txt. For static sites, add it to your web root.

Format

The format is Markdown-inspired:

# Brand Name
> One-line description of what you do.

## Section Name
- [Page Title](https://yourdomain.com/path): Short description

Template

Copy and customize:

# Acme Corp
> Project management software for remote agencies.

## Product
- [Features](https://acme.com/features): Core capabilities overview
- [Pricing](https://acme.com/pricing): Plans and tiers
- [Free Trial](https://acme.com/signup): Start without a credit card

## Resources
- [Blog](https://acme.com/blog): Guides and updates
- [Documentation](https://acme.com/docs): API and integration guides

## Support
- [Help Center](https://acme.com/help): FAQs and troubleshooting
- [Contact](https://acme.com/contact): Sales and support

BrandCitation example

See our live file at brandcitation.com/llms.txt for a reference implementation.

Common mistakes

Missing the file entirely — most common failure
Only linking the homepage — include product, docs, and authority pages
Vague descriptions — "Learn more" tells AI nothing; be specific
Blocking AI crawlers in robots.txt — llms.txt is useless if GPTBot cannot crawl your site. See which AI bots to allow

Verify it works

After publishing:

Visit https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt in a browser
Confirm it returns 200 OK with plain text
Run a free AI visibility scan or order an audit that includes the full GEO checklist