LLMs.txt: Keep up with SEO in the age of AI

Tue 9th Sep 2025

Ajna Green

Purple and blue technolgy flowing through air

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing how people search online. Instead of simply searching for a website, many users now go directly to AI chatbots like ChatGPT, or they see answers generated in their search engine’s AI overview.

There’s no need to worry that your website will lose traffic because of this; you just want it to be your website that the AI references.

It’s not just about AI gobbling up traffic. Increasingly, people are using AI chatbots for advice and recommendations. Imagine someone asking:

“What’s the best theatre in Sussex?”
“What are the top 10 law firms for the technology sector?”
“Which creative agency's blog keeps me best updated on technology — and why is it Grandad?”

To be included in these answers, AI models need to understand your business and speak about you accurately. That’s where LLMs.txt comes in.

What is LLMs.txt?

LLM stands for Large Language Model. An LLMs.txt file is a simple, human-readable file you can add to your website.

It acts as a guide for AI tools, telling them:

Which pages on your website matter most
How those pages should be described
Key information about your business

Think of it as a translator. While humans beautiful, intuitive design, AI models read more efficiently when information is highly structured plain text.

An LLMs.txt file presents your website in a format AI can quickly understand, helping it reference your site more accurately.

Quick Refresher: What Is an AI Chatbot or LLM?

AI chatbots are powered by Large Language Models.

They:

Are trained on vast amounts of data (websites, books, articles)
Understand context and meaning
Generate text, code, summaries, and even images
Can make mistakes because their “memory” is limited
Are continuously updated and improved

When they pull information, they look for reliable, well-structured sources. That’s why adding LLMs.txt to your site can make a difference.

Should you add an LLMs.txt file to your website?

Benefits	Considerations
Increases the chance your website is referenced by AI-powered search Helps ensure AI describes your business accurately Drives referral traffic from AI-generated recommendations Works alongside traditional SEO as an additional index Gives you an edge over competitors who haven’t adopted it yet Easy to implement (just fill in the form below and we’ll get you started)	Not all AI systems currently use LLMs.txt You’ll need to curate and maintain page lists and descriptions If not automated, new pages must be manually added Smaller websites may still be understood without it AI search technology is evolving rapidly, and best practices may change

Still unsure?

Get in touch with our team, and we’ll talk you through everything and answer any questions you have!

How can I improve my content?

While having an LLMs.txt file on your website is a great move for reach, one of the most important things you can do for your website is to share high-quality content. Both AI tools and traditional search engines prefer content that is: