In the SEO field we are increasingly talking about the LMS.TXT file, proposed to optimize websites in the relationship with generative as such as chatgpt and copilot. But is it really needed or is it just yet another passenger fashion? In this article we analyze what it is, how it works, what supporters say and what are the most common doubts.
What is LMS.TXT file
The fileLMS.TXT(often called alsollms.txt, where LLM stands for Large Language Models) was proposed in 2024 by the researcherJeremy Howard(Answer.ai project). The goal? Provide artificial intelligence with a simplified and well -structured version of the main contents of a website, so as to facilitate its understanding during the generation of responses.
What is it for
Il file lms.txt non è pensato per i motori di ricerca tradizionali come Google, ma per modelli come ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot e altri. Si tratta di un documento in Markdown che sintetizza in modo ordinato e leggibile le sezioni chiave del sito. L’AI, invece di analizzare ogni pagina HTML piena di elementi superflui, trova in lms.txt una sorta di “mappa concettuale” che la guida verso i contenuti più rilevanti.
What it contains
- A synthetic description of the site
- Link to the most important pages, with concise explanations
- Hierarchical structure (titles, lists) to facilitate parsing by AI
It's a completely fileopt-in: does not exclude anything (as the robots.txt does), but suggests to what to read to better understand the site.
Benefits according to supporters
- More understanding by the AI: the responses generated are potentially more correct and updated
- Communicative consistency: prevent the inventive or misunderstood by the brand's messages
- Efficiency: reduces computational load for AI, facilitating access to content
- Future preparation: if it becomes a standard, those who have already implemented it will be benefited
The strongest criticisms
- Nobody reads it: Currently no engine to officers (chatgpt, bing, google) uses it
- Does not improve the ranking: Google non lo considera, né migliora la SEO classica
- Bad user experience: if one ae quotes the file directly, the user lands on a raw Markdown page
- Easy to manipulate: being autogenrated, it can be used to "inflate" keywords or insert spam
Who is using it
Some tech companies eprojectsOpen Source are experimenting with LLMS.TXT file. Among these, Elevenlabs, Wordlift, Langchain, Hugging Face, and others. Some online directories collect the sites that have already implemented it, but at the moment isolated cases remain exploratory.
Do you really need?
Depends. If you manage a site with a technical basic base or API documentation, it may be worth testing it. But if you have a blog, an ecommerce or a magazine, LMS.Txt today will no longer bring you visibility, neither traffic, nor better positioning.
The AI industry has not yet adopted this standard. Without an official declaration by Openai, Google, Microsoft or others, the usefulness of this file remains theoretical.
Conclusion
LMS.Txt is a fascinating, but still immature idea. It could represent the future of optimization for the AI, or ending up in forgetting as the old Meta Keywords. For now, it is better to observe the evolution and focus on quality content, structured data and solid SEO.
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Frequent questions about LMS.TXT
What is LMS.TXT file?
It is a file in text or Markdown format, designed to facilitate the reading of the contents of a site by generative artificial intelligence. It is not intended for traditional users or search engines.
Where must be inserted?
Nella root del sito, esattamente come robots.txt o sitemap.xml, con URL del tipo https://www.tuosito.it/lms.txt or llms.txt.
Do google or bing read it?
No. At the moment, neither Google nor Bing nor Chatgpt use or read the LMS.Txt file. No great player AI has officially adopted him.
Does it affect the SEO?
No. It does not improve positioning in search engines. It is an instrument oriented to artificial intelligence, not to classic SEO.
Is it worth implementing it?
Only if you want to experiment with a future perspective, especially if your site provides technical content, guides or documentation. For most sites, today, it has no concrete impact.
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