Llms Txt Present

TL;DR

There’s a technical or content issue reducing how well your page can be crawled, understood, or cited. Follow the steps below to diagnose the cause, apply the fix, and verify the result. Finish by running an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan.

Why this matters

Access and crawlability are prerequisites. If crawlers can’t fetch or parse your content, rankings and citations become unreliable, and LLMs may fail to extract answers.

Where this shows up in Oversearch

In Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer and run a scan for the affected page. Then open Benchmark Breakdown to see evidence, and use the View guide link to jump back here when needed.

What is llms.txt and what is it for?

llms.txt is a proposed standard file (similar to robots.txt) that tells AI systems what content on your site is available for LLM consumption and how it should be used.

While still emerging, llms.txt helps AI systems discover your best content, understand your site structure, and respect your preferences for how content is used in AI-generated responses.

• Place llms.txt at the root of your domain: https://example.com/llms.txt.
• It lists key pages, their descriptions, and usage permissions.
• Think of it as a curated content directory for AI systems.
• It does not replace robots.txt — it complements it.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to see whether an llms.txt file was detected.

Does llms.txt improve AI visibility or citations?

It can help AI systems discover and prioritize your best content, which may improve the likelihood of being cited in AI-generated answers.

AI systems that support llms.txt use it to find authoritative pages on your site. While not all AI systems currently read it, adoption is growing and it is a low-effort way to signal content availability.

• Having an llms.txt file signals you are AI-ready.
• It helps AI systems find your most important pages quickly.
• It does not guarantee citations but improves discoverability.
• The file is small and easy to maintain.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to check AI accessibility signals.

How do I create an llms.txt file?

Create a plain text file at your domain root listing your key pages with titles and short descriptions.

The format is straightforward: a title line, optional description, and a list of pages with labels.

• Create a file at /llms.txt (public directory root).
• Start with your site name and a one-line description.
• List key pages: /docs: Documentation for our API
• Include your most authoritative, citation-worthy content.
• Keep it updated as content changes.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to verify detection after adding the file.

What should I include in llms.txt (pages, policies, docs)?

Include your most authoritative and citation-worthy pages: documentation, guides, product information, research, and methodology pages.

Focus on pages that contain factual, verifiable information that AI systems might reference. Include pages that define your brand, products, and expertise.

• Documentation and guides (highest citation potential).
• Product/service overview pages.
• About, methodology, and trust pages.
• Research, data, and original analysis.
• Avoid including login pages, checkout, or low-value utility pages.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to see which pages are most relevant for AI consumption.

Common root causes

• Template-level configuration mismatch or conflicting signals.

How to detect

• In Oversearch AI Page Optimizer, open the scan for this URL and review the Benchmark Breakdown evidence.
• Verify the signal outside Oversearch with at least one method: fetch the HTML with curl -L, check response headers, or use a crawler/URL inspection.
• Confirm you’re testing the exact canonical URL (final URL after redirects), not a variant.

How to fix

Understand what llms.txt is (see: What is llms.txt and what is it for?) and what to include (see: What should I include in llms.txt?). Then follow the steps below.

1. Apply the fix recommended by your scan and validate with Oversearch.

Verify the fix

• Run an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan for the same URL and confirm the benchmark is now passing.
• Confirm the page is 200 OK and the primary content is present in initial HTML.
• Validate with an external tool (crawler, URL inspection, Lighthouse) to avoid false positives.

Prevention

• Add automated checks for robots/noindex/canonical on deploy.
• Keep a single, documented preferred URL policy (host/protocol/trailing slash).
• After releases, spot-check Oversearch AI Page Optimizer on critical templates.

FAQ

Where should llms.txt live on my domain?

At the root: https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt — same location pattern as robots.txt and sitemap.xml. Place it in your public directory. When in doubt, deploy it alongside your robots.txt.

Can llms.txt replace robots.txt or sitemap?

No. They serve different purposes. Robots.txt controls crawler access. Sitemap lists all URLs for discovery. llms.txt curates the best content for AI systems. Use all three together. When in doubt, maintain all three files independently.

Which AI systems currently support llms.txt?

Adoption is growing but not universal. Some AI search providers check for it during content discovery. Even without universal support, having the file signals AI readiness and costs almost nothing to maintain. When in doubt, create one — the downside is zero and the upside grows as adoption increases.

How often should I update llms.txt?

Update whenever you publish significant new content, remove important pages, or restructure your site. A quarterly review is a good baseline. When in doubt, update llms.txt whenever you update your sitemap.

Should I include all pages or just the best ones?

Include only your most authoritative, citation-worthy content. This is a curated list, not a sitemap. Focus on guides, documentation, research, and product pages that you want AI systems to reference. When in doubt, include your top 20-50 pages by quality and authority.

What format should llms.txt use?

Plain text with a title line, optional description, and a list of URLs with labels. Follow the emerging llms.txt specification format. Keep it simple and human-readable. When in doubt, model it after your sitemap but with only your best pages and short descriptions.