How to Create an llms.txt File: Step-by-Step Guide
Creating an llms.txt file is one of the fastest and highest-impact things you can do for AI search visibility. This step-by-step guide will get you from zero to a deployed llms.txt in under 30 minutes.
An llms.txt file can be created in under 30 minutes by writing a plain-text site description, an About section, a list of key URLs with annotations, and a topics list, then deploying it to yourdomain.com/llms.txt - immediately signalling to AI engines what your site covers.
What you will need
Creating an llms.txt file requires nothing more than:
- A plain text editor (Notepad, TextEdit, VS Code, or any code editor)
- Access to upload a file to your website root (FTP, your CMS file manager, or your hosting control panel)
No coding knowledge is required. The format is plain text with simple Markdown styling.
Step 1: Understand the structure
An llms.txt file follows this basic structure:
# Site Name
> One-sentence description of what the site does.
## About
[2-4 sentence description: who you are, what you do, who you serve]
## Key pages
- [Page Title](https://yoursite.com/page/): Brief description
- [Page Title](https://yoursite.com/page/): Brief description
## Key topics
[Comma-separated list of main topics covered on the site]
## Contact
[Email or contact page URL]Step 2: Write your site description
The one-line description after the > is the most important line in the file. It is the first thing an AI model reads and sets the context for everything that follows.
Write it as a clear, factual statement of what your site does. Avoid marketing language. Be specific.
- ✗ "The leading platform for digital transformation excellence"
- ✓ "SearchScore audits websites for AI search visibility across 50+ technical and content signals"
Step 3: Write your About section
The About section gives AI models more context about who you are. Include:
- What your organisation does
- Who your audience or customers are
- Any relevant credentials, founding information or notable facts
- Your location if relevant
Step 4: List your key pages
Include your 5 to 15 most important pages. For each, include the full URL and a brief one-line description. Prioritise:
- Your homepage
- About or team page
- Core product or service pages
- Your most important content or blog posts
- Contact page
Step 5: Add key topics
List the main subjects covered on your site as a comma-separated list or short sentences. This helps AI models understand your topical authority and route relevant queries to your content.
Step 6: Deploy the file
Save the file as llms.txt (plain text, UTF-8 encoding). Upload it to the root of your website - the same directory that contains your homepage. Test by visiting yoursite.com/llms.txt in a browser - you should see your plain text file.
Step 7 (optional): Create llms-full.txt
For maximum impact, create a companion llms-full.txt file containing the complete text of your most important pages. This gives AI models your best content in one clean, easy-to-read file - without needing to crawl your entire site.
Simply copy the main text content (not HTML) from your top 5 to 10 pages and separate each page section with a clear heading in the file.
CMS note: WordPress users can use the Yoast SEO plugin or a custom plugin to auto-generate llms.txt. Shopify, Webflow and most modern CMS platforms support adding root-level files via their file manager or settings.
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Sources & Further Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I put my llms.txt file?
Your llms.txt file must be placed in the root directory of your website, so that it is accessible at yoursite.com/llms.txt. It should not be in a subdirectory.
How long should an llms.txt file be?
A basic llms.txt can be as short as 20 lines. A comprehensive one covering all key pages and topics might be 50 to 100 lines. There is no strict length requirement, but clarity and accuracy matter more than length.
Does llms.txt use a specific format?
llms.txt uses simple Markdown format. It starts with a heading (# Your Site Name), a one-line description after a > character, then sections for About, Key Pages, Key Topics and other relevant information. No special encoding is required.
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