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

1. Missing the file entirely — most common failure
2. Only linking the homepage — include product, docs, and authority pages
3. Vague descriptions — "Learn more" tells AI nothing; be specific
4. 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:

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

Related guides

• GEO checklist
• GEO vs SEO
• AI bots in robots.txt

FAQ

What is llms.txt? /llms.txt is a plain-text Markdown file at your site root that summarizes your brand, products, and key pages for AI crawlers. It is the highest-weight technical signal in most GEO audits.

Do AI engines actually read llms.txt? Several AI crawlers (including GPTBot and ClaudeBot) parse /llms.txt when it exists. Engines that do not yet support it ignore the file — but the cost of adding it is low and the upside once an engine adopts the convention is large.

What is the difference between llms.txt and llms-full.txt? /llms.txt is a short index with a brand summary and links to important pages. /llms-full.txt contains the full text content of those pages in a single file so AI engines can ingest them without crawling.

Where do I put llms.txt? At the root of your domain: https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt. For Next.js, place the file in public/llms.txt. For static sites, add it to the web root.

How often should I update llms.txt? Update it whenever you add a major new product, page, or change your core positioning. The file is meant to be a current source of truth — outdated llms.txt will mislead AI engines.

Does llms.txt replace a sitemap? No. Sitemaps are for search engine crawlers. llms.txt is for AI engines. Keep both. The two serve different consumers.