Rank Your Website on ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek & Other AI Tools: What is llms?

AI models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and others are rapidly becoming key sources of information and content discovery. These tools often use public web data to train their models or generate real-time answers. But most website owners don’t know that they can now control how these models interact with their content.

Enter llms.txt: a new, evolving standard that gives webmasters a say in how AI crawlers use their data. In this article, we’ll explore what llms.txt is, why it matters for your website and SEO, how to create it, how to verify whether AI bots are visiting your site, and how it benefits your overall digital presence, including eCommerce SEO andlocal SEO.

 What is llms.txt?

llms.txt (Large Language Model Systems file) is a simple text file you can place in the root directory of your website (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt). Its purpose is to instruct AI crawlers—such as OpenAI's GPTBot, Google's Google-Extended, or Anthropic's ClaudeBot—on whether or not they can access your content.

Much like robots.txt, it doesn’t enforce behavior technically, but it creates a standardized opt-in or opt-out system. Responsible AI companies are starting to adopt it as a way to respect content ownership.

It allows you to define which AI bots:

• ✅ Can crawl and learn from your content
• ❌ Are blocked from accessing it

This gives you control over how your website is used in AI training and search-like responses.

Also Read :-7 Critical Technical SEO Issues That Could Be Killing Your Website’s Traffic

Purpose of llms.txt

The core goal of llms.txt is to give website owners control over how their content is used by AI models. These bots can scrape and learn from publicly available web content. Without your consent, your original content could be:

• Used in AI model training
• Summarized in tools like Perplexity or Gemini
• Answered directly in ChatGPT with no clicks to your site

By using llms.txt, you can:

Allow trusted AI bots to crawl and cite your content

• Block those you don’t trust or recognize
• Start preparing for future monetization or licensing discussions with AI companies

List of Major AI Crawlers You Can Include

Impact on SEO & Content Visibility

llms.txt is not part of traditional SEO. It doesn't directly affect your rankings in Google Search. Search Engine Optimization Services will be enhanced to get higher ranking on Search Engines. However, it can influence your visibility in AI-powered search experiences like:

• ChatGPT with Browsing

• Google Gemini (SGE)

• Perplexity AI

• You.com

• DeepSeek (Chinese AI search engine)

If you allow these bots through llms.txt, your content can:

• Appear as source citations

• Be summarized or linked inside AI-generated answers

• Drive traffic from tools where users no longer rely solely on search engines

In short: llms.txt gives you early control over how your site shows up in the AI-powered internet.

Also Read :-Traffic Generator Software : Is it Safe To Get Massive Traffic To My Website 

Is llms.txt Actually Useful for SEO & GEO?

SEO Usefulness

• Improves visibility in AI-generated content results by signaling allowed access.

• Increases chances of citations and backlinks from AI answer engines.

• Builds brand recognition and domain authority within new AI-powered search platforms.

• Supports long-term visibility as AI assistants begin to shape SERP alternatives.
  
  

GEO Usefulness

• Helps you control how location-specific data (store hours, services, contact pages) is represented.

• Avoids mismatched or outdated info being summarized incorrectly in AI tools.

• Important for local SEO businesses or region-specific content publishers.

• Ensures accurate geo-targeted results in AI-generated responses.

How Is It Beneficial for eCommerce SEO?

• Prevents scraping of valuable product data like SKUs, titles, and structured pricing.

• Ensures brand voice and curated product descriptions aren't misused in training data.

• Boosts AI citations for long-tail queries related to product reviews or feature comparisons.

• Helps appear in AI search and recommendation tools where users search for "best product for..."

• Enables better control over bots indexing limited-time offers, bundles, or geo-specific shipping info.

• Builds trust with AI tools that cite sources—leading to higher click-throughs.

How to Generate llms.txt

Step 1: Use a Generator Tool

Go to: https://llmstxt.firecrawl.dev

1. Paste your URL and wait for the tool to analyze your website.

2. Copy your llms.txt file

Step 2: Upload It to Your Site

Place it in the root of your website:

https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt

Ensure the file is publicly accessible (Content-Type: text/plain).

Create AI Bots to Allow Files

You can also create an LLMs allow file for all AI bots to review your website.

llm: GPTBot

policy: allow

comment: OpenAI's GPTBot is allowed to access content.

llm: Google-Extended

policy: allow

comment: Google Gemini is permitted to crawl our site.

llm: ClaudeBot

policy: disallow

comment: We do not allow Claude to use our content.

Also Read :-To Rank Your Website : Does Creating Backlinks Is The Only Process

Why is llms.txt Important?

AI is rapidly changing how people search for information. Instead of clicking through 10 blue links, users are getting direct, AI-generated answers. Your website content might already be used by:

• OpenAI for ChatGPT answers
• Google for Gemini search summaries
• Perplexity for instant answers with source links
  
  

If you're not using llms.txt, you're letting bots decide how they use your content, without your input. This matters for:

• Copyright protection
• Data transparency
• Ethical AI adoption
• Future revenue models (licensing, subscription-based indexing, etc.)

How to Track or Verify AI Crawlers

 Method 1: Check Server Logs

Use SSH or cPanel terminal and run:

grep -Ei "GPTBot|ClaudeBot|Google-Extended" /path/to/access.log

You’ll see logs showing which bots accessed which pages.

 Method 2: Track via Cloudflare (Recommended for Most Websites)

If your website uses Cloudflare, here's how to log and flag LLM bot traffic.

Step-by-Step: Create a Bot Analytics Filter

1. Go to your Cloudflare Dashboard

2. Navigate to:
   Security > WAF > Tools > Firewall Rules

3. Click “Create Firewall Rule”

4. Name it: LLM Bot Logger

5. Use this filter expression:

(http.user_agent contains "GPTBot" or

 http.user_agent contains "ClaudeBot" or

 http.user_agent contains "Google-Extended" or

 http.user_agent contains "PerplexityBot" or

 http.user_agent contains "CCBot" or

 http.user_agent contains "Amazonbot" or

 http.user_agent contains "Bytespider" or

 http.user_agent contains "cohere-ai" or

 http.user_agent contains "DuckDuckBot" or

 http.user_agent contains "You.com" or

 http.user_agent contains "ai-crawler" or

 http.user_agent contains "facebookexternalhit" or

 http.user_agent contains "yandexbot" or

 http.user_agent contains "Sogou")

6. Action: Log (or just “Allow” if you're watching)

7. Deploy the rule

View Data

• Go to Security > Events
• Filter logs by “LLM Bot Logger” to see who visited

Expression:

(http.user_agent contains "GPTBot" or http.user_agent contains "ClaudeBot" or http.user_agent contains "Google-Extended"

1. Set the Action:

• Choose “Log” if you just want to track.
• You can also “Allow” or “Challenge” if you want further control.

2. Deploy:

• Save the rule and deploy.
• Logs will now appear in your Security → Events tab.

Method 3: Use Analytics Platforms

• Enable bot analytics in platforms like Matomo or Cloudflare Insights.
• Filter User-Agents that include GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, etc.

Method 4: Honeypot Test (Advanced)

• Create a decoy URL (e.g., /hidden-page-for-ai.html) and reference it in your llms.txt only.
• Monitor if that URL gets accessed by bots (proves they read llms.txt).
  
  

Also Read :-E-commerce SEO – How to Rank for Low-Competition Keywords and Skyrocket Your Traffic

Benefits of Using llms.txt

Best Practices

• ✅ Allow GPTBot and Google-Extended for visibility in ChatGPT and Gemini
• ✅ Monitor server logs and analytics regularly
• ✅ Mention llms.txt in your robots.txt
• ✅ Revisit settings quarterly to adapt to new bots
• ❌ Don’t assume all bots follow the rules (some may ignore your preferences)

FAQs About llms.txt

Q1. Will llms.txt improve my Google search rankings?

No. It won’t directly affect traditional SEO rankings. But it helps your content be visible and cited in AI-generated results, which can drive new forms of traffic.

Q2. Can I block some bots and allow others?

Yes. You can selectively allow or disallow specific bots like GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, etc.

Q3. What happens if I don’t use llms.txt?

Bots may crawl and use your content without explicit permission. Some will respect robots.txt, but others may proceed if llms.txt is missing.

Q4. Does llms.txt block search engines? 

No. llms.txt is separate from robots.txt. It only affects AI bots and has no impact on Googlebot or Bingbot for traditional indexing.

Q5. How often should I update llms.txt? 

Review it quarterly or whenever new AI bots emerge. This helps you maintain accurate access control.

Conclusion

The web is no longer just for search engines. Large language models are changing how users discover and interact with content. If you want to protect your website, grow your brand, or appear in AI-powered answers, llms.txt is your first step toward AI-era content control.

It's simple, lightweight, and free—yet it could shape how your content is used across the entire generative web.