llms.txt: what is it and how do you make one for your business?

Your website is made for people: with menus, images, cookie banners and buttons. For an AI model that wants to quickly understand what you do, that is a lot of noise. An llms.txt solves that: a simple text file with the essence of your business.

What is llms.txt?

llms.txt is a 2024 proposal for a fixed file in the root of your website (yoursite.com/llms.txt). It is written in Markdown, a simple format with headings and lists, and contains:

• your business name
• a short summary of what you do
• links to your most important pages, with a short note per link

It is similar to robots.txt and sitemap.xml, but intended for language models.

Does it work?

Honest answer: it is a young standard and not every AI model reads it yet. So it is not a miracle cure. But it takes fifteen minutes, it does no harm and it forces you to write down in a few sentences what you do. You can use those sentences on your homepage and in your business profiles too.

Example

This is what an llms.txt can look like for a local business:

# Duinstad Plumbing

> Plumbing company in The Hague, Rijswijk and Voorburg.
> Specialised in leaks, blockages and boilers.
> Available 24/7 for emergencies.

## Services

- [Leak repair](https://www.duinstad-plumbing.com/leaks): detection and repair, also at night
- [Boiler maintenance and repair](https://www.duinstad-plumbing.com/boiler): all brands
- [Unblocking](https://www.duinstad-plumbing.com/unblocking): drains, toilets and sewers

## About us

- [Service area and rates](https://www.duinstad-plumbing.com/rates)
- [Reviews](https://www.duinstad-plumbing.com/reviews)
- [Contact](https://www.duinstad-plumbing.com/contact): call or email, reply within an hour

How to put it online

1. Create a text file named llms.txt and copy the example with your own details.
2. Upload it to the root of your website, in the same place as robots.txt.
3. Check that you can open it at yoursite.com/llms.txt.

If you use WordPress, there are plugins that create an llms.txt for you. Do check the content: an automatically generated file often lists every page, while the point is to highlight the most important ones.

Tips

• Keep it short: an AI model should understand what you do in a few seconds.
• Write facts, not marketing language.
• Mention your towns and service area.
• Update it when your services change.

The free AI check checks, among other things, whether your website has an llms.txt. Subscribers get a ready-made llms.txt in their action plan, based on their own business details.