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Last updated: July 2026

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llms.txt — What It Is and How to Create One

llms.txt is a proposed root-level text file — similar to robots.txt — that lists the URLs and documentation you want large language model crawlers to prioritize when indexing your site for AI answers.

Why both dashboards matter

The 12% problem

Only about 12% of the URLs ChatGPT cites rank in Google's top 10. Ranking and being cited are two different games. Most teams pay for two tools to play both. SearchDock is one.

SearchDock tracks Google rankings from Search Console and AI citations from multi-pass prompt sampling in one nav — Websites, Pages, Keywords, Competitors, GSC, and Crawl alongside your AEO Score.

CHATGPT-CITED URLS BY GOOGLE RANK
Rank 1–10 in Google12%
Rank 11+ or not ranking88%

Source: independent analyses of ChatGPT citation overlap with Google top-10 results (2025–2026). SearchDock measures both channels so you see the full picture.

What is llms.txt?

llms.txt is a markdown-formatted file at yoursite.com/llms.txt containing a site summary and grouped links to your most important pages, each with a one-line description.

It helps AI systems discover canonical product, pricing, and documentation URLs without crawling your entire site.

Is llms.txt required?

No search engine or AI provider mandates llms.txt today. It is a low-effort signal that growing numbers of SEO and AEO teams implement as AI crawler traffic increases.

SearchDock ships /llms.txt on searchdock.io as a reference implementation.

How do you create llms.txt?

Use SearchDock's free llms.txt generator: enter your domain, select priority pages, and download a validated file to upload to your site root.

Pair llms.txt with accurate schema markup and an answer-first About page for stronger entity signals.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I upload llms.txt?
Place it at https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt — the same root level as robots.txt. Serve it as text/plain.
Does llms.txt block pages?
No. It is permissive guidance, not a deny list. Use robots.txt to block crawlers; use llms.txt to highlight priority URLs.
Which AI bots read llms.txt?
Adoption is evolving. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity document various crawler behaviors — monitor AI bot logs in SearchDock technical SEO.

Measure rankings and AI citations together