An llms.txt file is one of the quickest AEO wins you can implement. It takes about 5 minutes to create, costs nothing, and immediately gives AI language models better context about your website. Here’s a step-by-step guide with ready-to-use templates.
llms.txt is a community convention proposed by Jeremy Howard of Answer.AI in September 2024. It is not an official web standard ratified by W3C or IETF, but adoption is growing rapidly across the web.
Step 1: Create the File
Create a plain text file called llms.txt in your site’s public root directory. This is the same directory where your robots.txt and favicon live. The file should be accessible at yoursite.com/llms.txt.
Step 2: Write the Content
The format uses Markdown. Start with your site name as an H1, a blockquote description, then sections for key pages and topics. Keep it concise — think of it as a one-page brief for an AI model.
Templates by Site Type
SaaS / Software
# [Your Product Name]
> [One-sentence description of what your product does
> and who it’s for.]
## Key Pages
- [Home](https://yoursite.com): [What the homepage offers]
- [Pricing](https://yoursite.com/pricing): [Plan overview]
- [Docs](https://yoursite.com/docs): [Documentation]
- [Blog](https://yoursite.com/blog): [Content focus]
## What We Do
- [Core feature 1]
- [Core feature 2]
- [Core feature 3]
## Topics Covered
- [Topic 1]
- [Topic 2]
- [Topic 3]llms.txt template for SaaS sites
E-Commerce Store
# [Store Name]
> [What you sell, who you serve, and what makes
> you different.]
## Key Pages
- [Home](https://yourstore.com): [Store overview]
- [Shop](https://yourstore.com/collections): [Browse products]
- [Best Sellers](https://yourstore.com/collections/best-sellers): [Top products]
- [Shipping & Returns](https://yourstore.com/policies/shipping): [Policy info]
## Product Categories
- [Category 1]
- [Category 2]
- [Category 3]
## Policies
- Free shipping over $[X]
- [X]-day returns
- [Payment methods accepted]llms.txt template for e-commerce
Blog / Content Site
# [Site Name]
> [What your site covers and your editorial angle.]
## Key Pages
- [Home](https://yoursite.com): [Site overview]
- [About](https://yoursite.com/about): [Who writes this]
- [Topics](https://yoursite.com/topics): [Content index]
## Topics Covered
- [Primary topic 1]
- [Primary topic 2]
- [Primary topic 3]
## Notable Articles
- [Article Title](https://yoursite.com/article-slug): [Brief description]
- [Article Title](https://yoursite.com/article-slug): [Brief description]llms.txt template for blogs and content sites
Step 3: Deploy
- •Static sites / Next.js — Place the file in your public/ directory.
- •WordPress — Upload via FTP/SFTP to your site root (same directory as wp-config.php). Alternatively, use a plugin like "LLMs.txt Manager."
- •Shopify — Go to Online Store > Themes > Edit Code. Create a new template or use a redirect to serve the file.
- •Vercel / Netlify — Place in the public/ or static/ directory of your project.
Step 4: Verify
Open yoursite.com/llms.txt in a browser. You should see your Markdown content rendered as plain text. Then run a free AEO scan — it checks for llms.txt presence and content quality as part of the 6-factor analysis.
Optional: Create llms-full.txt
For larger sites, you can also create an llms-full.txt with more detailed content. The llms.txt serves as a concise overview, while llms-full.txt provides comprehensive information for AI models that want deeper context. The convention suggests linking from llms.txt to llms-full.txt.
Common Mistakes
- •Wrong file location — Must be at the root: yoursite.com/llms.txt, not yoursite.com/pages/llms.txt.
- •Using HTML instead of Markdown — The file should be plain Markdown text, not HTML.
- •Too long — Keep it under 500 words. It’s a brief, not a novel.
- •Outdated info — Update your llms.txt when you add major new content, products, or features.
- •Blocked by robots.txt — Make sure your robots.txt doesn’t block /llms.txt.
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