llms.txt
A proposed plain-text file that points AI tools to the most useful pages on a site.
In plain English
llms.txt is a newer, informal standard, and AI tools differ on whether they use it. It is cheap to add and harmless, but it does not replace a clear, crawlable site.
In practice
A law firm lists its practice area pages and FAQ in llms.txt so AI tools can find them quickly.
llms.txtvsrobots.txt
llms.txt suggests your best pages to AI tools. robots.txt controls which bots may crawl at all.
Related terms
How AI reads the webPro robots.txt A small file at the root of your site that tells bots which pages they may and may not crawl. In practice, and related terms → How AI reads the webStarter AI crawler The bots AI companies send to read websites. If they are blocked, your pages cannot be read or quoted. In practice, and related terms → Content & structureStarter Schema markup Labels in a page’s code that tell machines exactly what is a service, a price, a review, an FAQ or an address. In practice, and related terms →