Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing how people discover information online. Increasingly, customers are turning to AI assistants such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to answer questions, recommend products, and find services.

That raises an important question:

How does AI know what your business does, and where does it get that information from?

One emerging answer is llms.txt.

What is llms.txt?

An llms.txt file is a proposed web standard designed to help Large Language Models (LLMs) understand websites more effectively. Rather than forcing AI systems to navigate complex page layouts, menus, scripts and advertising, a website can provide a simple, structured summary of its most important content in a format that's easy for AI to consume.

Typically located at https://www.yourwebsite.com/llms.txt, the file can contain information about your organisation, key services, important resources, and links to content that AI systems may find useful.

Think of it as a guidebook that helps AI assistants quickly understand your website without having to interpret every page individually.

Why does it matter?

Traditional search engines have spent decades becoming experts at indexing websites. AI systems work differently.

When a user asks an AI assistant:

"What services does this company provide?"

or

"Can you recommend a supplier for XYZ?"

the AI may need to gather information from multiple sources and pages before generating a response. And if you've used AI like this, you'll have seen it can misinterpret the context of some parts of a website, and give inaccurate or contradictory answers. 

A well-structured llms.txt file can help by:

  • Providing a clear overview of your business
  • Highlighting important pages and resources
  • Reducing ambiguity around products and services
  • Helping AI systems find authoritative information more quickly
  • Improving the accuracy of AI-generated responses about your organisation

As AI-powered search and discovery continue to grow, having clear, structured information available could become an increasingly important part of your digital presence.

Is llms.txt the same as robots.txt?

No.

Most website owners will already be familiar with robots.txt, which helps control how search engines crawl a website.

llms.txt serves a different purpose.

Rather than controlling access, it is intended to provide useful context and information that AI systems can use when understanding your website and answering user queries.

In simple terms:

  • robots.txt tells bots where they can go.
  • llms.txt helps AI bots understand what it finds when it gets there.

Is llms.txt the same as a Sitemap?

No.

A sitemap.xml helps search engines discover the pages on your website by providing a structured list of URLs.

An llms.txt file serves a different purpose. Rather than simply listing pages, it provides context about your business, highlights important content, and guides AI assistants towards the information that matters most.

Think of it this way:

  • sitemap.xml tells systems what pages exist
  • llms.txt helps AI understand which pages matter and why
  • robots.txt tells crawlers where they can and can't go

For example, a sitemap might contain hundreds or thousands of URLs, while an llms.txt file would typically provide a concise summary of your organisation along with links to the most useful content.

As AI-powered search and assistants continue to evolve, many organisations are likely to use both approaches together: a sitemap for discovery and an llms.txt file for context.

What should be included?

Every business is different, but a useful llms.txt file might contain:

  • A summary of your organisation
  • Details of your products or services
  • Key contact and support information
  • Links to important content
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Information about locations, sectors, policies, or specialisms

The goal is not to duplicate your entire website, but to provide a concise guide to the information that matters most. Ideally, it will point the AI to more authoritative static content about your company, and skip the more transient news, blogs, announcements and so on

LLMs.txt and Markdown

One of the reasons llms.txt is gaining attention is its simplicity.

The file is written in Markdown, a lightweight text format that's easy for both humans and AI systems to read. Rather than containing complex code or technical configuration, it typically consists of headings, short descriptions and links to important content.

For example, a very simple llms.txt file for a business website might look something like this:

# Webnetism

Webnetism provides website development, hosting and digital solutions for businesses.

## Key Services

- CMS42 Content Management System
- Website Hosting
- Bespoke Web Development

## Important Links

- About Us: https://www.webnetism.com/about
- CMS42: https://www.webnetism.com/cms42
- Contact: https://www.webnetism.com/contact

Links in your llms.txt file can even be to other Markdown (.md) files that give AIs even more context about that specific part of your website.

How CMS42 can help

At Webnetism, we're already looking ahead to how AI will interact with the websites we build and manage.

We're currently developing extensions for CMS42 that will make creating and maintaining llms.txt files significantly easier, while also exploring ways to generate the supporting Markdown content that AI systems can reference.

In many cases, the information needed for these AI-friendly formats already exists within CMS42. By utilising page content, summaries, metadata, featured item lists, and other managed content, we aim to reduce manual effort while helping organisations present clear, consistent information to both visitors and AI assistants.

Our goal is to allow website administrators to:

  • Generate llms.txt content directly from information already stored in CMS42
  • Generate or support AI-friendly Markdown versions of key content
  • Keep AI-focused content synchronised with website updates
  • Reduce the manual effort required to maintain an effective llms.txt file
  • Ensure important business information remains accurate and up to date

By integrating llms.txt and Markdown support directly into CMS42, we hope to make AI-readiness a natural part of day-to-day website management - enabling customers to take advantage of emerging AI standards without needing to become experts in them.

Looking ahead

It's important to remember that llms.txt is still an emerging standard, and adoption continues to evolve. However, many organisations are already exploring ways to make their websites more accessible to AI systems, recognising that AI-assisted search and discovery are becoming increasingly important channels for reaching their customers.

As the technology develops, having structured, trustworthy information available for AI assistants could become just as important as traditional search engine optimisation - if not more!

At Webnetism, we're committed to ensuring CMS42 customers are ready for that future.


We'll be sharing more details about our upcoming CMS42 llms.txt features as development progresses. Watch this space!

Contact Get in touch