An llms.txt file is a simple text file on your website that tells AI crawlers, in plain language, who you are and what you do — and for businesses that want to be understood by AI search, it’s one of the easiest high-value things you can add.
What it’s for
AI search engines read the web to answer questions. A page can be cluttered with menus, code and design that make it harder for a machine to grasp the essentials. llms.txt hands the AI a clean summary instead: your business name, what you offer, where you operate, and your key links — no noise.
What a good one looks like
Clear, human, and about your business:
# Acme Joinery
> Custom kitchen and cabinetry maker in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
## Services
- Custom kitchens and cabinetry
- Wardrobes and storage
- Commercial fit-outs
## Areas served
Te Puke, Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and the wider Bay of Plenty.An AI reading that can confidently answer “who makes custom kitchens near Te Puke?” — and name the business.
The mistake that backfires
When an SEO plugin generates the file automatically and nobody curates it, it often dumps the internal plumbing of your page builder — words like module, row, layout, scope. None of that tells an AI what your business does. It signals an unmanaged, machine-spat-out file and makes you look like noise. A curated file beats an auto-generated one every time.
Do you need one?
If you care about being found and quoted by AI search — and increasingly that’s where customers are asking — then yes. It’s quick to add and hard to get wrong once a human writes it properly. We craft llms.txt for clients as part of our GEO / AI search service. Ask us to set yours up.
FAQ
Where does llms.txt live?
At the root of your domain, e.g. yourdomain.co.nz/llms.txt, so crawlers can find it.
Will it instantly get me into AI answers?
It’s one strong signal among several. Combined with clear content, schema and a fast site, it meaningfully improves how AI understands and represents you.
My plugin already made one — is that fine?
Check it. If it’s full of page-builder code rather than plain business information, it’s likely hurting more than helping and should be rewritten by a human.
