Years ago, every website manager learned what robots.txt was: a small file that tells search engines which pages they may and may not crawl. Now there is a new equivalent for the AI age: llms.txt. Small file, big impact.
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a text file you place in the root of your website, at the address yourdomain.com/llms.txt. In this file you describe, in plain language, who you are, what your business does, which pages are most relevant and how AI systems may use your content. It is not an official Google standard, but an emerging convention that is increasingly recognised and used by AI crawlers.
Why is it relevant?
AI systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and future versions of Google learn from web content. They crawl websites and distil information. If you actively tell them what matters on your site, you increase the chance that they pick up the right information about you. It is like writing an AI guide for your own website.
A practical example
An estate agency in The Hague has an llms.txt containing: the name of the agency, its specialisms, the neighbourhoods it is active in, and the three most important pages. When someone asks an AI “which estate agent in The Hague specialises in the Statenkwartier?”, this agency has an informational advantage over competitors that have no llms.txt.
What should it contain?
A good llms.txt includes: the business name and description, the core services, the target audience, relevant pages with a short explanation, and optionally usage rights for AI systems. We help you draw up and place this file correctly.
