llms.txt is a simple text file in your site root that explains, in an AI-friendly way, what your site is about and which pages matter most. Where robots.txt tells bots where they may not go, llms.txt points them to what is worth their attention.
AI systems have to dig through menus, ads and markup to grasp what a site is about. llms.txt hands them a short summary: here is the project, here are the key sections, here is the documentation. The easier it is for AI to understand your site, the better your odds of being the one it cites.
robots.txt is about restrictions: where a bot may not go. llms.txt is a hint: what you have that is valuable and how to make sense of it. They do not replace each other - they work together. robots.txt manages access, llms.txt manages meaning.
It is a young standard and Google does not yet confirm it uses it directly. But the cost is minimal - one text file - and you send a signal to AI search right now, while competitors are still unaware. Low risk, a potential head start.
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