Training AIs for website SEO with llms.txt
llms.txt: from search engine SEO to AI SEO
llms.txt is a file designed to explain to artificial intelligences who you are, what you do and how you want to be described: it is the foundation of SEO for AI.
In short
An increasing number of visits now come from artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. Search no longer happens only through traditional search engines, but through AI chats. In this context, llms.txt emerges: a file designed to help language models correctly understand a brand, its services and its positioning, becoming a key new tool for semantic optimization in the future of digital marketing.
In recent months, many companies may have noticed an unusual trend in reports from Matomo, GA4 or other analytics tools: a growing number of website visits comes from unexpected sources such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, DeepSeek and other artificial intelligences. Searching for information online is no longer synonymous with “typing on Google”. In fact, we are already entering an era in which chat-based search is set to become the main channel of interaction with the web.
Artificial intelligences are now permeating the tools we use every day: WhatsApp, social networks and even mobile operating systems offer immediately accessible AI solutions. Users, both consumers and professionals, are progressively getting used to conversing with artificial intelligences that understand natural language, contextualize requests, summarize sources and, in many cases, generate more targeted and relevant answers than those provided by a traditional search engine.
Until today, it was search engine SEO
If today we search on Google for “best CRM for an SME in the furniture sector” and find dozens of SEO-optimized articles, guides, sponsored results and forums, tomorrow (and for some, already today) we will ask the same question to an assistant like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, receiving a single, filtered, reasoned and, above all, concise answer. An answer that often goes beyond classic organic rankings, because it is based on a combination of sources read, understood and synthesized by artificial intelligence. This is where llms.txt comes into play.
From tomorrow, it will be AI SEO with llms.txt
What is llms.txt? In short, it is a text file designed to offer language models a clear, concise and controlled representation of a company, a project or a website. The name plays on the classic file extension (.txt) and the LLM acronym (Large Language Model), indicating a tool that, when placed in the root of a site, could become the standard for “instructing” AI models that browse, read and interpret digital content.
llms.txt is designed to be readable by artificial intelligence but also useful for humans: it provides a strategic overview of what a brand does, who its target is, what its values are, the services offered and the most relevant keywords to understand it. In a sense, it is the technical and semantic evolution of the “about us” page and brand identity guidelines, translated into machine language while maintaining a human tone.
Its purpose is twofold: on one hand, to help AIs generate more accurate answers when queried about a company; on the other, to protect brand communication consistency by preventing intelligences from generating approximate, confusing or outdated content. llms.txt can include sections describing mission, vision, company values, services, key clients, summarized case studies, certifications, contacts, useful links and guidelines on tone of voice.
llms.txt becomes particularly relevant for structured brands, B2B companies, consultancies, SaaS and complex eCommerce projects, while for very small businesses or purely informational websites it can still be an optional tool.
How do you build an llms.txt file?
The recommended structure is a Markdown file, a simple and readable markup language that allows you to create headings, paragraphs, text emphasis and hyperlinks with a clean and intuitive syntax. A heading is created by prefixing one or more hash symbols (#), italics are obtained by enclosing a word between asterisks (*), and links are written using square and round brackets. The goal is to make the file readable both for an AI and for a human, ensuring semantic accessibility.
For example, a typical section might start with:
# Mission
HT&T Consulting is a digital agency specialized in supporting companies in their online growth.
This approach also makes it easy to update content, version it, keep it consistent with company positioning and, crucially, make that information centrally available. The file can then be referenced in robots.txt or directly indicated in the public site documentation, or linked within APIs or corporate knowledge management platforms.
The future of llms.txt
llms.txt is not an official standard, at least not yet. But among developers, content strategists and AI experts, it is increasingly spreading as an emerging convention. Some companies are already implementing automatic reading systems for these files to enrich proprietary models, and Google, OpenAI and Meta, when instructed, already read structured specifications natively through their bots.
The most interesting aspect is that companies can directly influence what AIs know about them. Just as for years we optimized SEO to “please Google”, today we are starting to do AI-content optimization to “please language models”. llms.txt is, in every respect, a semantic positioning tool within the context of artificial intelligence.
Let us imagine a future in which every company has an AI-ready knowledge card: a file that describes who it is, what it does and how it wants to be told. Brands that provide well-structured, updated and coherent content will be favored in AI response processes, both in chatbots integrated into search engines and in automated assistance systems. llms.txt could become a sort of “semantic tax code” for every digital entity.
Further down the line, we might also think of machine-readable versions using JSON-LD, public validators and public repositories like schema.org. But it all starts from a simple idea: if we want AIs to speak well about us, we must give them the right data to read.
In this scenario, HT&T Consulting does not merely analyze the evolution of search, but already works on AI-ready information structures, semantic content and AEO and GEO strategies, helping brands be correctly understood, cited and described by language models.
References: https://llmstxt.org/
FAQ
What is an llms.txt file?
It is a text file designed to provide language models with a clear and structured representation of a company or a website.
Does llms.txt replace traditional SEO?
No, it complements it. AI SEO works on a semantic and conversational level.
Where should llms.txt be placed?
Generally in the site root, like robots.txt or sitemap.xml.
Is it an official standard?
No, it is an emerging convention adopted by developers and AI strategists.
How is llms.txt used by language models?
Language models can use llms.txt as a structured source to understand a brand’s context, improve response quality and reduce ambiguity or outdated information.
Does llms.txt directly affect website traffic?
It does not act as a traditional ranking factor, but it can influence brand citations, AI response quality and the likelihood of a site being mentioned or recommended.
What is the difference between llms.txt, robots.txt and structured data?
robots.txt controls bot access, structured data describes content for search engines, while llms.txt provides a semantic summary designed for language models.
References:
The LLMS.TXT project: https://llmstxt.org/
Continua a leggere
6 minutes of reading
12 minutes of reading
12 minutes of reading
And it consumes less energy.
To return to the page you were visiting, simply click or scroll.