Introduction: AI Training On Data
Search has changed. Again. Just as SEOs adapted to Position Zero and featured snippets, the era of AI-driven answers powered by generative models is forcing another turn. But unlike traditional web crawlers that followed rules from robots.txt for decades, AI crawlers are now, so far, less predictable. That’s where llms.txt enters the conversation.
In this blog, we’ll explore whether llms.txt is a serious concern to replace robots.txt or just a placeholder. We’ll look at what llms.txt is, what it hopes to solve, and whether it really matters to your business website.
It works likewise to robots.txt in structure. It is placed at the root domain like:
https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt
An example of llms.txt:
User-Agent: GPTBot
Allow: /
User-Agent: XYZBot
Disallow: /
User-Agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /
This allows or blocks AI models like OpenAI’s GPTBot or Anthropic’s Claude from accessing and using your website content to train their models or index for AI-generated answers.
Why Was llms.txt Proposed?
Unlike Googlebot, AI crawlers don’t just ranking pages. They might use your content to generate new summaries, rewrite answers, or embed it into AI memory tasks. This raises:
• Ownership issues: Is your content being reused without permission?
• Attribution problems: Will users even know your content is the source?
• SEO risks: Will your site lose traffic if AI tools answer everything upfront?
• llms.txt is meant to give site owners more control in this AI-first world.
How Is llms.txt Different from robots.txt?
| Feature | robots.txt | llms.txt |
| Purpose | Controls web crawlers | Controls AI model crawlers |
| Established | Yes (standard for decades) | No (still emerging, not enforced) |
| Usage | Blocks indexing/crawling | Blocks training and AI answer usage |
| Support | Google, Bing, etc. | Limited (OpenAI, Anthropic, maybe Perplexity) |
Others like Meta, Google DeepMind, or emerging LLM providers have not confirmed support.
And that’s the core problem: compliance is voluntary.
Is It Being Enforced or Respected Widely?
No. at present, llms.txt is not a standardized protocol like robots.txt, nor is it mandatory. So even if you publish one, not all crawlers will honor it.
It’s up to individual LLM companies to choose whether they respect your llms.txt file or not. There are also no monitoring tools yet to audit AI crawler access.
Should You Create an llms.txt for Your Site?
Here’s a decision guide for Digital Profound and other businesses:
Yes, if:
You want to limit training on your content by GPT or Claude.
Your content is original, paid or competitive in the subject.
You want to track AI bot crawling.
No, if:
You want visibility in generative answer overview.
Your goal is brand exposure, even if not attributed.
Remember: Blocking may prevent your content from showing in AI snippet layer.
Does llms.txt Affect SEO?
Not directly. Traditional SEO still depends on robots.txt, sitemaps, and on-page optimization.
But it does affect your visibility in AI search results (like Google SGE or Bing Copilot). By allowing AI access, you increase your chances of being rephrased or sourced by LLMs.
This creates a trade-off: block to protect content, or allow to appear in AI answers.
Refer to our related article: Evolving from Position Zero SEO: GEO & AEO Strategies to learn how to optimize for AI snippet layers.
Where Should You Host llms.txt?
Just like robots.txt, place it at your root domain:
https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt
It must be publicly accessible and formatted properly. You can manually upload it via your WordPress file manager, cPanel, or FTP.
Sample for Digital Profound:
User-Agent: GPTBot
Allow: /
User-Agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /
What Happens If AI Crawlers Ignore It?
If ignored, your content may still be used for:
• AI training
• Generative search responses
• Summarizations without attribution
Right now, there’s no legal fallback unless legislation catches up (like in the EU or California).
Final Thoughts: Complement, Replace, or Ignored?
Complement: Most likely. It won’t replace robots.txt but adds a layer of control for LLMs.
Replace: Unlikely. Robots.txt is too entrenched and works for a different purpose.
Ignored: Still possible. Compliance isn’t enforced yet.
Until there’s a global AI indexing standard, llms.txt remains a voluntary experiment. Still, for forward-looking businesses like Digital Profound, it’s worth experimenting with and understanding.
Internal Recommendations
• Test and monitor how AI-generated tools treat your content.
• Continue optimizing for GEO and AEO strategies.
Want to future-proof your SEO for AI-first search (GEO)?
Visit our Consulting page or explore our AI Search Optimization Services.
We help startups and enterprises bridge the gap between search engines and generative AI exposure.
Let the machines learn on your terms.