llms.txt Setup Guide: How to Make Your Website AI-Friendly

What is llms.txt?

llms.txt is a plain text file you place at your domain root that gives large language models (LLMs) a structured overview of your website. Think of it as a sitemap designed specifically for AI — not for Google’s crawler, but for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity’s crawlers.

The format was proposed by Anthropic (the company behind Claude) and is gaining adoption across AI search platforms. When an AI model crawls your site, llms.txt provides a quick, structured summary so the model can understand what you offer without parsing every page.

Why llms.txt Matters for AI Search

Without llms.txt, AI crawlers must independently crawl and interpret every page on your site. This is slow, error-prone, and often incomplete. With llms.txt, you’re giving AI models a “cheat sheet” — here’s who we are, what we offer, and where to find detailed information.

Benefits:

• Faster AI discovery of your key pages
• Better comprehension of your services and expertise
• Higher likelihood of being cited in AI responses
• Structured context that AI models prefer over scattered page content

How to Create Your llms.txt File

Step 1: Create a Plain Text File

Create a file named llms.txt (no extension other than .txt) and place it at your domain root:

https://yoursite.com/llms.txt

Step 2: Follow the Format

The recommended format uses Markdown-style headers and lists:

# Your Company Name

> One-line description of what you do and who you serve

## About
Brief company description (2-3 sentences)

## Services
- [Service Name](/services/service-slug) — Short description
- [Service Name](/services/service-slug) — Short description

## Key Pages
- [About Us](/about) — Company story and team
- [Pricing](/pricing) — Service tiers and pricing
- [Contact](/contact) — Get in touch

## Blog
- [Article Title](/blog/article-slug) — Topic summary
- [Article Title](/blog/article-slug) — Topic summary

## FAQ
Question: What services do you offer?
Answer: We offer SEO, GEO, AEO, web development, and AI visual services.

Question: What industries do you serve?
Answer: We work with businesses across e-commerce, SaaS, healthcare, and local services.

Step 3: Validate It

After creating the file, verify it’s accessible by visiting https://yoursite.com/llms.txt in your browser. You should see the plain text content displayed.

Real Example: RexBunny Services

Here’s the actual llms.txt we use:

# RexBunny Services

> AI search optimization agency specializing in GEO, AEO, and technical SEO. We make brands visible in Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Siri, Alexa, and Perplexity.

## Services
- [SEO](/services/seo) — Traditional and local search optimization
- [GEO](/services/ai-search-optimization) — Generative Engine Optimization
- [AEO](/services/aeo) — Answer Engine Optimization
- [Web Development](/services/web-development) — High-performance websites
- [AI Visuals](/services/ai-visual) — AI-generated graphics and video

## Key Pages
- [Lead Engine](/lead-engine) — Free AI visibility audit
- [Pricing](/pricing) — Service tiers and packages
- [Case Studies](/portfolio) — Client results and case studies

## FAQ
Question: What is GEO?
Answer: Generative Engine Optimization gets your brand cited in AI search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.

Question: How long until I see results?
Answer: Most clients see AI citation improvements within 2-4 weeks of implementation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Making it too long. Keep it under 500 lines. AI models have context limits — give them the highlights, not a novel.
2. Forgetting to update it. When you add new services or blog posts, update llms.txt too.
3. Blocking it in robots.txt. Make sure AI crawlers can access /llms.txt.
4. Using complex formatting. Plain text with simple Markdown headers works best. No JavaScript, no CSS, no HTML.
5. Leaving out contact info. AI models may surface your contact details in responses — make sure they’re current.

Testing Your llms.txt

After deploying, use these tools to verify:

• Manual check: Visit https://yoursite.com/llms.txt in a browser
• Curl check: curl https://yoursite.com/llms.txt
• AI visibility test: Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity about your industry and see if your brand appears in responses

The Bottom Line

llms.txt takes 15 minutes to create and can meaningfully improve your AI search visibility. Every business that wants to be found in AI search should have one. It’s the lowest-effort, highest-impact technical SEO task for AI search optimization.

Need help setting up llms.txt? Our free AI Visibility Audit checks whether your site has llms.txt and how AI models are currently interpreting your content.