March 29, 202611 min read

What is llms.txt and Why Your Website Needs It

A complete guide to the llms.txt standard: what it is, how it works, why it matters, how to create it, and what to include. Examples, templates, and practical recommendations for GEO optimization.

Владислав Пучков

Основатель GEO Scout, эксперт по GEO-оптимизации

Imagine a new employee joining your company. You could drop them into the office without instructions — they will figure it out on their own, but it will take time and they may misunderstand things. Or you could give them a brief overview: who you are, what you do, where everything is. The llms.txt file is exactly that kind of brief description for AI systems. And while most websites do not have one yet, you have a chance to gain an advantage. The GEO Scout platform uses llms.txt itself and recommends its implementation to clients as part of a GEO audit.

What is llms.txt

llms.txt is a text file placed at example.com/llms.txt that describes the website and its key contents in a format convenient for large language models (LLMs).

Analogy with robots.txt and sitemap.xml

If robots.txt is the "guard at the entrance" (who to let in, who to keep out), and sitemap.xml is the "directory of rooms" (what is where), then llms.txt is the "business card of the building" (who we are, what we do, what we have).

Why llms.txt is needed

AI systems can crawl your website and try to understand its contents on their own. However:

• They may not find all important pages
• They may misinterpret the content
• Site navigation can be complex for AI parsing
• Important information may be "hidden" behind JavaScript rendering
• AI does not understand business context without an explicit description

llms.txt solves all these problems with a single file: it gives AI a concentrated, structured description of your business and content.

llms.txt file format

The llms.txt standard uses Markdown format. The file consists of several sections.

Structure

# Company/Website Name
 
> Brief one or two-line description. What this site is, what the company does.
 
## Main Pages
 
- [Page Name](https://example.com/page): Brief description of contents
- [Another Page](https://example.com/other): What is here
 
## Documentation
 
- [API Documentation](https://example.com/docs/api): Description
- [User Guide](https://example.com/docs/guide): Description
 
## Additional
 
- [Blog](https://example.com/blog): Description
- [FAQ](https://example.com/faq): Description

Format rules

• The file starts with an h1 heading (#) — the site name
• A blockquote (>) after the heading — a brief description
• Sections are marked with h2 headings (##)
• Each link: [Title](URL): Description
• Format is pure Markdown, no special tags
• UTF-8 encoding

llms.txt vs llms-full.txt

The standard provides for two levels of detail:

llms-full.txt is an extended version that includes not only links but also a description of each page's content directly in the file. This allows AI to get complete information without needing to visit each page separately.

How to create llms.txt: step-by-step guide

Step 1: Define key information

Answer the questions:

• What does your company do? (1-2 sentences)
• What main products/services do you offer?
• Which pages of the site are the most important?
• Where is your documentation/FAQ located?
• What contact information is current?

Step 2: Structure by sections

Recommended sections:

1. Description (required) — who you are and what you do
2. Products/Services (required) — main offerings
3. Documentation (if available) — guides, API, instructions
4. Blog/Content (recommended) — key articles and sections
5. FAQ (recommended) — link to the frequently asked questions section
6. Contacts (recommended) — how to get in touch

Step 3: Write the file

Example for a SaaS company:

# CloudCRM — CRM System for Small and Medium Businesses
 
> CloudCRM is a cloud-based CRM system for managing sales, customer base, and marketing. Operating in Russia, 5,000+ clients, integrations with 1C, Yandex, and Telegram.
 
## Products
 
- [CRM for Sales](https://cloudcrm.ru/products/sales): Sales pipeline management, deals, tasks. From 990 RUB/month.
- [Marketing](https://cloudcrm.ru/products/marketing): Email campaigns, campaign analytics, lead generation.
- [Integrations](https://cloudcrm.ru/integrations): 50+ integrations: 1C, Yandex Metrica, Telegram, WhatsApp.
 
## Pricing
 
- [Prices and Plans](https://cloudcrm.ru/pricing): 3 plans from 990 to 4,990 RUB/month. Free plan for up to 3 users.
 
## Documentation
 
- [User Guide](https://cloudcrm.ru/docs): Complete documentation for all features.
- [API](https://cloudcrm.ru/docs/api): REST API for developers.
- [Knowledge Base](https://cloudcrm.ru/help): FAQ and instructions.
 
## Blog
 
- [CloudCRM Blog](https://cloudcrm.ru/blog): Articles about sales, CRM, marketing.
 
## About
 
- [About Us](https://cloudcrm.ru/about): Founded in 2019. Headquarters — Moscow. 50+ employees.
- [Contacts](https://cloudcrm.ru/contacts): Phone, email, address.

Step 4: Deploy the file

The file must be accessible at https://your-site.ru/llms.txt. The deployment method depends on your stack:

Static site / Nginx: Place the file in the root directory (public/llms.txt).

Next.js: Create the file in the public/llms.txt directory or set up an API route.

WordPress: Use a plugin for custom files or upload via FTP to the root directory.

Verification: open https://your-site.ru/llms.txt in a browser — the file text should be displayed.

What to include in llms.txt: detailed recommendations

Required elements

Recommended elements

What NOT to include

• Marketing jargon and advertising slogans
• Links to pages with registration forms but no content
• Legal documents (privacy policy, terms)
• Pages without useful content
• Links to protected (login required) pages

Real-world examples of llms.txt

GEO Scout

GEO Scout uses llms.txt at geoscout.pro/llms.txt. The file describes the platform, its key features (AI visibility monitoring, analytics, audit), pricing, and documentation.

Common patterns among companies with llms.txt

Analysis of companies that have implemented llms.txt reveals common patterns:

• Conciseness: company description is 1-2 sentences, not a paragraph
• Specificity: links lead to specific pages, not to the "homepage"
• Accuracy: prices and specifications match current data
• Structure: sections are logically organized by content type

Relationship between llms.txt and other GEO elements

llms.txt is not an isolated tool but part of comprehensive GEO optimization.

llms.txt + Schema.org

Schema.org markup and llms.txt solve different problems:

• Schema.org — structured data within HTML pages for specific entities (Product, Organization, FAQ)
• llms.txt — an overview description of the entire site and navigation to key content

Optimal: Schema.org on every page + llms.txt in the site root. They complement each other.

llms.txt + robots.txt

llms.txt + content strategy

llms.txt helps AI find your best content. This means the file should be updated along with the content:

• Launched a new product — add it to llms.txt
• Published an important article — include it in the blog section
• Changed pricing — update the link to the pricing page

How to measure the effect of llms.txt

There are no direct metrics for llms.txt impact yet, but the effect can be assessed indirectly:

Before and after implementation

1. Record your current AI visibility for key prompts (baseline)
2. Implement llms.txt
3. After 2-4 weeks, compare the metrics

Metrics to track

GEO Scout allows you to track all these metrics daily and compare dynamics before and after llms.txt implementation. The Command Center considers llms.txt presence as one of the factors when generating technical optimization recommendations.

Common mistakes when creating llms.txt

The future of llms.txt

The llms.txt standard is at an early stage of development, but its importance will grow:

• Expanding support — more AI systems will consider llms.txt
• Standardization — the format will be enhanced with new fields and sections
• Tool integration — CMS platforms will start generating llms.txt automatically
• Verification — a mechanism for confirming llms.txt authorship may emerge

Implementing llms.txt now is an investment in future AI visibility. While competitors do not have this file, your brand gains a structural advantage.

Checklist: implementing llms.txt

Preparation (30 minutes)

• Define 1-2 sentences describing the company
• Compile a list of key site pages (products, pricing, FAQ, documentation)
• Verify that all URLs are current and lead to public pages
• Decide whether llms-full.txt is needed (for complex products with documentation)

File creation (30 minutes)

• Write llms.txt in Markdown format
• Start with h1 (name) and blockquote (description)
• Organize links by sections (products, documentation, blog, contacts)
• Add a brief description to each link
• Verify all URLs for accessibility

Deployment (15 minutes)

• Deploy the file at https://your-site.ru/llms.txt
• Verify accessibility in a browser
• Ensure Content-Type is text/plain or text/markdown
• Add a link to llms.txt in robots.txt (optional but recommended)

Maintenance (ongoing)

• Update llms.txt when products, prices, or site structure change
• Check link functionality monthly
• Track impact on AI visibility via GEO Scout
• Use the Command Center to monitor GEO technical factors
• Follow llms.txt standard updates