Google: LLMS.txt Files Won't Help Or Hurt Your Search Rankings

<p><img alt="What is llms.txt &amp; should you use it?"

<p>In December 2024, Jeremy Howard, the creator of fast.ai, proposed a simple standard: an llms.txt file placed in a domain's root directory, telling AI systems about the

<p>Google Search says llms.txt isn't needed for AI features, while Lighthouse now checks the file for agentic browsing readiness in an experimental audit.</p> <p>The post <a

Google has added markdown files, .md.txt files, to the Google Search help documents. But John Mueller from Google said that these are not being used for Search or generative AI

<p>Mueller argues LLM systems can't use llms.txt to differentiate between websites for discovery. He sees a narrow role once an agent is on a site.</p> <p>The post <a

Using Ahrefs Web Analytics and Bot Analytics, we analyzed the server logs and live traffic of 137K domains, plus the user agents hitting all of them. Here’s what we found. In late

<p>Google updated its guidance to strike a less discouraging tone about the use of LLMs.txt, special markup, and markdown for AI SEO.</p> <p>The post <a