Do ChatGPT and Google read llms.txt?

Some AI tools read it and some don't yet. It's cheap to add and does no harm, so it's worth having while the standard settles.

Is llms.txt the same as robots.txt?

No. robots.txt tells crawlers what they may visit. llms.txt tells AI tools what your business is and which pages to read first.

Does llms.txt help my Google rankings?

Not directly. Google ranks pages, not this file. It's for AI tools, and it costs a few minutes to write.

How long should llms.txt be?

Short. A summary and the pages that matter most. If a page wouldn't help a buyer, leave it out.

What is llms.txt? What goes in it, with an example

The short answer

llms.txt is a Markdown file at yoursite.com/llms.txt. It gives AI tools a plain summary of your business and links to your most useful pages, so they don't have to guess from your menu. It's a proposed standard: some AI tools read it, and none are required to.

What goes in it.

# Your name
The business name, once, as the first line.
> Summary
One or two sentences: what you sell, who it's for, where.
## Sections
Groups of links, such as Shop, Guides and Help.
- [Page](url): note
Each key page, with a line on what it answers.

An example.

harborcoffee.example/llms.txt

# Harbor Coffee

> Small-batch coffee roaster in Portland. Fresh beans
> and subscriptions, shipped across the US.

## Shop
- [Espresso beans](https://harborcoffee.example/espresso): three espresso roasts
- [Subscriptions](https://harborcoffee.example/subscribe): delivery every 2 or 4 weeks

## Help
- [Shipping](https://harborcoffee.example/shipping): costs and delivery times
- [FAQ](https://harborcoffee.example/faq): grind, storage and returns

Example store. Swap in your own name, summary and pages.

Where to put it.

1
Save it as llms.txt.
Plain text with Markdown headings and links.
2
Put it at the root.
yoursite.com/llms.txt, in the same place as robots.txt.
3
Keep it current.
When you add a product line or a guide, add the link.
4
Check that it loads.
Open the address in a browser. If you can read your text, AI tools can too.

How Ezeo helps.

Ezeo writes a first llms.txt from your own pages, ready to paste. Then it checks every week whether the AI engines name you.

See AI visibility in Ezeo

The file AI reads first.

What goes in it.

An example.

Where to put it.

Save it as llms.txt.

Put it at the root.

Keep it current.

Check that it loads.

How Ezeo helps.

Questions.