How to Create Your First LLMS.txt File: A Step-by-Step Guide

Alright, you're convinced. You read our first article about LLMS.txt files and now you're thinking, “This sounds smart, but how the heck do I actually make one?”

I'm about to show you exactly how to create your first LLMS.txt file in about 15 minutes, and I promise you don't need to be a tech wizard to pull this off. If you can write an email and save a document, you've got all the skills you need.

One expectation to set first, because we covered it in depth in the first post: this file won't change your Google rankings, and Google has said so directly. What it does is give AI agents and assistants that visit your site a clean map. Fifteen minutes, no risk, done right the first time. Here's how.

The super simple manual method

This works for any website, on any platform.

Step 1: open a text editor

Don't overthink this. Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac, or a Google Doc. We're creating a simple text file, and that's all.

Step 2: start with your business basics

Every LLMS.txt file needs these core sections:

# [Your Business Name]

> [One sentence: what you do, for whom, where.]

## About
[2-3 sentences about what your business does and who you serve]

## Services
[Your main services or products]

## Contact
[Your main contact information and location]

## Key Pages
[Links to your most important pages]

That first line with the > symbol is a blockquote, and it comes straight from the official llms.txt format: one sentence an AI can grab when it needs the shortest possible answer to “what is this business?”

Step 3: fill in your information

Write like you're explaining your business to a smart friend who's never heard of you. Clear, specific, focused on what matters most. Skip the keyword stuffing (more on that below).

Step 4: save it correctly

Name the file llms.txt, all lowercase, no spaces. The classic mistake: your computer quietly saves it as llms.txt.txt, and the file never gets found. On a Mac, check “hide extension” isn't fooling you; on Windows, turn on visible file extensions and look.

Step 5: upload it to your website's root directory

That means the main folder of your website, so the file loads at yourwebsite.com/llms.txt. If you're unsure how, ask whoever manages your site. It's a 2-minute task for them. (If we manage your site, just ask us.)

The smart way: automated tools

If you're on WordPress, you can skip the manual work. Yoast SEO has generated llms.txt files since version 25.3 (June 2025), in the free plugin, and since 25.6 you can edit what it generates instead of taking the automatic version.

The Yoast method:

1. Update Yoast SEO to the current version
2. In your Yoast settings, find the llms.txt feature under site features and switch it on
3. Yoast builds the file from your existing content and site structure, and keeps it updated

Worth knowing: the automatic version is a fine starting point, but it's built from what your site already says. If your about page is vague, your llms.txt will be vague. Read what it generates and edit it like you'd edit anything with your name on it.

Other platforms:

• Shopify: several apps in their store generate llms.txt files
• Squarespace/Wix: manual creation is still your best bet
• Custom websites: ask your developer, it's a small addition

Your copy-and-paste template

Replace the bracketed information with your own:

# [Your Business Name]

> [Your Business Name] provides [main service] for [target audience] in [location/market].

## About
[Your Business Name] provides [your main service/product] for [your target audience] in [your location/market]. We specialize in [your key differentiator] and have been [serving clients/operating] since [year founded].

## Services
- [Primary service 1]
- [Primary service 2]
- [Primary service 3]

## Contact
- Website: [your website URL]
- Phone: [your main phone number]
- Email: [your main contact email]
- Address: [your business address]

## Key Pages
- Home: [your homepage URL]
- About: [your about page URL]
- Services: [your services page URL]
- Contact: [your contact page URL]
- Blog: [your blog URL if you have one]

## Recent Updates
[Date]: [Brief note about new services or important changes]

The 3 mistakes that make these files useless

Mistake #1: writing for robots instead of intelligence

I still see businesses stuffing their LLMS.txt files with keywords like it's 2005 SEO. Stop it. AI systems understand natural language. Write like you're talking to a smart human, because you are.

Mistake #2: information overload

Give AI the highlights, and let the links carry the detail. I've seen files that try to include every blog post the business ever wrote, and all that length buys is a confused reader. Under 100 lines is a good ceiling for most businesses; WordPress.org covers 43% of the internet in 76.

Mistake #3: set it and forget it (the wrong way)

Plan on touching this file a few times a year. If you move offices, change your phone number, or launch a new service, update it. And once a quarter, load yourdomain.com/llms.txt in your browser to confirm it's still there and still true. Shopify moved its developer file without a redirect, and a year of tutorials now points at a 404. (That story's in the examples post.)

Quick quality check

Before you publish, ask yourself:

• Would this give a newcomer a clear picture of what we do?
• Is this information current and accurate?
• Am I focusing on what matters most to potential customers?
• Would I be comfortable if an AI described us based only on this file?

Then run the technical check: go to PageSpeed Insights, run your site, and look at the agentic browsing section. Since May 2026, Google's Lighthouse audits include an llms.txt check. It treats the file as optional, so what you're confirming is that your file shows up there and loads without errors. (Yes, Google Search ignores the file while Google's developer tools test for it. We find that funny too.)

Your LLMS.txt questions answered

What if I mess something up? Can I break my website?

Relax. The worst case is that the file doesn't load and AI systems ignore it, which is exactly where you started. Your website keeps working normally. It's a sign in your store window: if it's wrong, people miss it, but the store stays open.

How do I know if it's working?

Two checks. Load “yourwebsite.com/llms.txt” in your browser; if you see your content, it's live. Then run PageSpeed Insights and confirm the agentic browsing audit finds it.

Should I include pricing information?

Use your judgment. If you have standard published pricing, include it. If pricing is custom, describe your services and let the file point people to your contact page.

What about my privacy policy and legal stuff?

Include links to your privacy policy and terms of service if you have them. AI systems often need your data policies before recommending a service for business use.

I heard there's a new version of the spec. Does my file need changes?

Version 2 of the llms.txt proposal shipped on August 10, 2026, and it relaxed the rules rather than adding new ones: only the H1 title line is required now, and everything in this guide still validates. The one genuinely new piece is a discovery mechanism, a link on your pages that tells agents where your llms.txt lives, and most tools haven't implemented it yet. A file built from the template above is fully v2-compatible.

Can I see examples of what other companies are doing?

Check any company's file by adding /llms.txt to their domain. Three live ones worth studying: yoast.com/llms.txt (the everything approach), wordpress.org/llms.txt (short and clean, the best model for most businesses), and platform.claude.com/llms.txt (deep technical docs). We break down all three in the industry leaders post.

Want to see what the pros put in theirs? The industry leaders post breaks down real files from Yoast, Anthropic, Shopify, and WordPress.org.

In this series:

1. Why Your Website Needs an LLMS.txt File (And What the Heck That Even Means)
2. What Industry Leaders Put in Their LLMS.txt Files (And How to Steal Their Strategies)
3. How to Create Your First LLMS.txt File: A Step-by-Step Guide –This article!
4. The LLMS.txt Domain Dilemma: Where Should You Actually Put Your File?