A title
The file begins with a single heading, usually the name of the business or the site.
What is llms.txt?
A plain-English guide to the file that introduces your site to AI tools: what goes in it, where it lives and what it can and cannot do.
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01llms.txt
A short file that introduces your site to AI tools.
llms.txt is a plain-text file, written in Markdown, that sits at the root of your website at yoursite.com/llms.txt. It was proposed as a simple convention so that language models do not have to wade through menus, scripts and design to work out what a site is about. They get a short introduction and a list of the pages that matter instead, each with a line saying what it covers.
Think of it as handing someone a one-page brief instead of leaving them to read the whole site. A sitemap lists every address for a search engine, whereas llms.txt picks the best pages and explains them in words.
Ours is live at /llms.txt if you would like to see a real one. How it fits with the rest of the work is covered in AI search optimisation.
llms.txt at a glance
- Lives at yoursite.com/llms.txt
- Written in plain Markdown
- One line for each page it lists
- Free to publish on any site
- A title and one-line summary
- Notes about the business
- Sections of links to key pages
- An optional section for extras
02The format
What goes in an llms.txt file.
The convention is deliberately simple, so most of the skill is in choosing what to include and keeping it true.
A summary
A short quote block under the heading says in a sentence or two what you do and where. If a tool reads only that, it should still describe you correctly.
Background notes
A few plain paragraphs hold the detail a tool would otherwise have to hunt for, such as who you serve and how to get in touch.
Sections of links
Headings group your most useful pages, and each link carries a short description so a tool can pick the right one without opening them all.
An optional section
Anything under a heading called Optional is marked as lower priority, which is the right home for legal pages and older material.
Plain Markdown
It is ordinary text that needs no special software, so it can be written by hand or generated from your site, as ours is.
03Example
What ours looks like.
This is an extract from the file on this site. The summary comes first, then the pages worth reading, each with one line saying what it covers, and the less important pages last.
# Rebellious Digital
> WordPress studio in Maldon, Essex. We design and build websites, online stores and SEO that turn search into enquiries, including AI search.
## Pages
- [Services](https://rebelliousdigital.co.uk/services): Web design, WordPress, online stores, SEO, AI search and website care.
- [Contact](https://rebelliousdigital.co.uk/contact): Send a message, call or book a free 30 minute call.
## Optional
- [Privacy policy](https://rebelliousdigital.co.uk/privacy-policy): How we handle enquiries and site data.
LeeFounder and lead developerMaldon, Essex
04Why choose us
llms.txt from the people who build the site.
Rebellious Digital is a specialist agency based in Maldon, Essex. We have been building websites for over 15 years, and you deal with the people doing the work, not an account manager.
- Generated from the site
- We build it from the same data as your pages, so it cannot drift out of date.
- Checked against the rest
- The facts in the file match your pages and your schema.
- Straight talking
- We will tell you plainly what the file does and does not do.
- UK and beyond
- Based in Maldon, Essex, we work remotely with clients across the UK, the USA and Australia. In person when it helps.
05How we work
How we set one up.
No jargon, no surprises. You'll always know what's happening next.
- Step 01Read the siteWe go through your pages to understand what the business offers and which pages best describe it.
- Step 02Choose the pagesWe list the pages worth quoting and leave out anything private, thin, duplicated or out of date.
- Step 03Write and publishWe write the summary and a line for each page, then publish the file at the root of your domain.
- Step 04Keep it trueWhen a page is added or a detail changes, the file is updated with it.Start step one
06Client stories
5.0★★★★★24 Google reviewsWhat our clients say.
“Lee has been fantastic in every way! Great to deal with, big attention to detail, nothing is too much trouble, and most importantly he has created a fabulous looking, high converting website for us.”
“Absolutely love my website design by rebellious digital! Quick responses also when Im in need of some changes to my website! Highly recommend”
“Lee has been absolutely brilliant throughout the entire process. From our initial discussions and briefing to the final design of our website, Lee's expertise has truly shone. We have witnessed a significant improvement in our web traffic and SEO rankings thanks to their outstanding work.”
07FAQs
Common questions.
Straight answers about llms.txt. Anything else, call us on 01268 772772.
Can't see your question? Just ask. We still answer the phone.At the root of your domain, so it loads at yoursite.com/llms.txt. On WordPress that means either a physical file in the site root or a route that serves it, and we can set up whichever suits your hosting.
Some tools and developers do and others do not, and no major provider has promised to. That is why we treat it as inexpensive groundwork rather than a way to get mentioned. Clear pages, schema and consistent listings matter more.
No. It is written for language models, not for Google Search, which still relies on your pages and your sitemap.
No. Robots.txt tells crawlers what they may fetch and a sitemap lists every page for search engines. llms.txt does neither: it is an introduction written for language models. The three work best when they agree with each other.
Anything private, thin, duplicated or out of date. List only the pages you would be happy for an assistant to quote, and put the rest, such as legal pages, in the optional section.
Yes, it is only a text file, and generators can give you a starting point. The part that takes care is choosing the right pages and keeping the file true as the site changes, with the same facts and the same addresses as your pages.
08Where we work
llms.txt help across Essex.
Local pages for the towns we work in most, each with its own local detail and FAQs.
