ai.txt and llm.txt - The New Files Transforming SEO

SEO is entering a new era. As AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google SGE, and Microsoft Copilot become increasingly important, new technical standards are emerging that determine whether your company is visible or not.

Two of the most talked about are ai.txt and llm.txt.

Understanding ai.txt

The ai.txt file is a standardized file that tells AI crawlers which parts of your website they can access and index. Similar to robots.txt for traditional search engines, but specifically designed for AI models.

This file gives you control over AI access. You can decide what content AI models can use, highlight your most important pages for AI indexing, exclude sensitive information from AI training data, and help AI understand your site structure.

Understanding llm.txt

The llm.txt file, which stands for Large Language Model text, provides structured information specifically formatted for LLMs to understand your business better.

Key elements to include in llm.txt are a clear business overview describing what you do, a structured list of your main services, topics where you have expertise and authority, contact information for how AI should direct users to you, and common questions and answers in an AI-friendly format.

How to Implement These Files

Setting Up ai.txt

Create a file at your root domain at yoursite.com/ai.txt. This file should include user agent specifications, allow and disallow rules for different sections of your site, and crawl delay settings if needed.

Setting Up llm.txt

Create a file at yoursite.com/llm.txt. Structure this file with clear sections including your company name and description, an overview of what you do, your main services in a list format, your areas of expertise, and relevant contact information.

Impact on Your SEO Strategy

Implementing these files can significantly improve your AI search visibility. Early adopters are seeing their chances of being cited by AI models increase by 340 percent or more.

These files improve how AI understands your business context. They give you control over how your content is used in AI training. Most importantly, they position you as an authority in AI search results.

The Future of AI-First SEO

As AI search continues to grow, these files will become as essential as robots.txt and sitemaps are today. Companies implementing them now are building advantages that will compound over time.

The landscape is shifting rapidly. Early adopters are already seeing significant advantages in AI visibility, while most businesses have not yet caught on to these new standards.