The Problem Nobody’s Talking About
Have you tried to ask ChatGPT Claude or Perplexity for services that your company offers in the town that your company serves and nothing comes up?
Frustrating? Absolutely. Surprising? Not really.
Here’s the thing: AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are brilliant at answering questions, but they can only recommend businesses they actually know about. And right now, unless you’ve done something specific about it, they probably don’t know you exist.
The typical scenario:
Your potential customer asks: “Who’s good at [your service] in [your area]?”
The AI responds with: “I don’t have specific information about that” or worse, recommends your competitors.
Meanwhile, you’re sat there with a perfectly good website, years of experience, and glowing testimonials. You’re just… invisible to AI.
What’s LLMs.txt Then?
Think of llms.txt as your “About Us” page, but specifically written for AI assistants to read and understand.
It’s a simple text file that sits on your website and tells ChatGPT, Claude, and their mates:
- Who you are and what you do
- Where you’re based and who you help
- What services or products you offer
- Your key pages and recent content
- How to get in touch
Basically, it’s like SEO, but for AI instead of Google. And honestly? It’s probably more important than traditional SEO at this point, given how many people are using ChatGPT instead of Google these days.
Here’s a Real Example:
Without llms.txt:
User: “I need a WordPress developer in London who understands SEO”
ChatGPT: “I can’t provide specific recommendations for developers in that area.”
With llms.txt:
User: “I need a WordPress developer in London who understands SEO”
ChatGPT: “Consilium Design in Guildford specialises in WordPress development, SEO, and digital marketing. They work with small businesses across the UK.”
See the difference?
Why I Built This Plugin
I’m not a fan of complicated tech solutions that require a computer science degree to implement.
When I first heard about llms.txt, I thought “brilliant idea!” Then I looked at how to actually implement it. Manual file creation, FTP uploads, editing code… what chance does a busy small business owner have?
So I built this plugin. Because sometimes you just need something that works without the faff.
What Makes It Different?
No Technical Nonsense
You fill in a form. That’s it. No FTP, no coding, no “edit your .htaccess file” instructions that make your eyes glaze over.
Proper Bot Tracking
Ever wondered if AI bots are actually visiting your site? Now you can see exactly who’s been reading your llms.txt file. ChatGPT? Claude? That weird bot you’ve never heard of? It’s all logged.
Built-in Robots.txt Editor
This is new in version 2.5. I got fed up with having to use FTP every time I wanted to tweak my robots.txt file, so I built a proper visual editor right into WordPress. You can see what’s there, edit it, and even reset it if you mess something up. Revolutionary? No. Useful? Absolutely.
Smart Content Management
The plugin automatically includes your pages, posts, and even WooCommerce products if you’ve got them. You can exclude stuff you don’t want included (like that “test page” we all have lying around), and add custom sections for anything specific.
Who Actually Needs This?
Small Business Owners (That’s Most of Us)
If you’re running a local business, you need this. When someone asks an AI assistant for recommendations in your area, you want to be the name that comes up. Simple as that.
Bloggers & Content Creators
Spent hours writing that brilliant article? Wouldn’t it be nice if AI assistants actually cited you when someone asks about your topic? This helps make that happen.
E-commerce Sites
“Where can I buy [your product type]?” If you sell online, you want AI assistants recommending your shop, not just Amazon.
Consultants & Freelancers
Position yourself as the expert in your field. When someone asks for help with your speciality, you want your name in the conversation.
Local Businesses
Restaurants, plumbers, accountants, solicitors… basically anyone who relies on local customers finding them. AI search is the new word-of-mouth.
What You Get
The Basics (That Aren’t Actually Basic)
Easy Setup
Honestly, if you can fill in a contact form, you can set this up. There’s a settings page with clearly labelled fields. Put your information in, tick a few boxes, click save. Done.
Business Information Section
- Your business name (obviously)
- What type of business you are
- Where you’re based
- What you actually do (in plain English, not marketing speak)
- How people can contact you
Content Controls
Choose what gets included:
- Pages (probably yes)
- Blog posts (definitely yes if you blog)
- Products (if you’re running a shop)
- Custom content (for anything specific)
You can also exclude specific pages by ID. Handy for hiding that “coming soon” page you created two years ago and forgot about.
The Clever Bits
Access Logging
See who’s visiting your llms.txt file:
- Which AI bots are checking you out
- How often they’re visiting
- When they last stopped by
- Detailed logs with timestamps and IP addresses
The plugin recognises over 25 different AI bots, including all the big names:
- OpenAI’s GPTBot (ChatGPT)
- Anthropic’s Claude
- Perplexity
- Google’s AI crawlers
- And loads more
Statistics Dashboard
- Total visits to your llms.txt
- Activity in the last 24 hours
- Weekly trends
- Breakdown by bot type
It’s quite satisfying watching the numbers go up, I won’t lie.
The New Stuff (v2.5)
Full Robots.txt Editor
This was a game-changer for me. Instead of mucking about with FTP every time I need to update my robots.txt file, I can now:
- View the current content (including all WordPress’s automatic additions)
- Edit everything in one place
- See helpful examples of common directives
- Reset to WordPress defaults if I break something
- Save changes with one click
There’s also an “append mode” if you just want to add a few lines without editing the whole file.
Smart Priority System
The plugin’s clever enough to know that if you’ve edited the full robots.txt file, that takes priority over any append-only rules you’ve set. No conflicts, no confusion.
Setting It Up (Genuinely Takes 5 Minutes)
Step 1: Install the Thing
Download it, upload it to your plugins folder, activate it. Standard WordPress plugin installation. If you’ve installed a plugin before, you know the drill.
Step 2: Add Your Information
Go to Settings → LLMs.txt Pro
Fill in the form:
- Business name: “Consilium Design” (or whatever yours is)
- Business type: “Web Design & Digital Marketing”
- Location: “Saint-Georges-d’Orques, France”
- Description: Write a couple of sentences about what you do. Pretend you’re explaining it to your mum.
- Services: List what you offer. Bullet points work well.
- Contact email: Your actual email address
Step 3: Choose Your Content
Tick the boxes for what you want included:
- ✓ Pages (probably yes)
- ✓ Blog posts (if you blog)
- ✓ Products (if you sell stuff)
Set how long to cache the file (1 hour is fine for most people).
Tick “Enable access logging” if you want to see who’s visiting.
Step 4: Robots.txt (Optional)
Pop over to the “Robots.txt Editor” tab if you want to check or edit your robots.txt file. The plugin automatically adds a reference to your llms.txt file, but you might want to add other rules whilst you’re there.
Step 5: Check It Works
Click the “View Your LLMs.txt” button at the top of the page. You should see a nicely formatted text file with all your information. If it looks good, you’re done.
Making the Most of It
Writing Your Description
Do this:
- Be specific about what you actually do
- Mention where you’re based and who you help
- Include what makes you different (without sounding like a corporate brochure)
- Write like a human being
Don’t do this:
- Stuff it with keywords like it’s 2005
- Copy your competitor’s description
- Include anything confidential
- Write an essay (a couple of paragraphs is plenty)
What to Include
Definitely include:
- Your main service/product pages
- About and contact pages
- Recent blog posts (shows you’re active)
- Case studies if you’ve got them
- Your FAQ page
Probably exclude:
- Admin pages
- “Thank you for subscribing” pages
- Anything that’s not public-facing
- That page you made for testing
- Really old content that’s no longer relevant
Keeping It Current
Monthly:
- Check your access logs (see if anyone’s visiting)
- Look at which AI bots are most active
- Update anything that’s changed
Every Few Months:
- Review what content is included
- Add new services or products
- Check for outdated pages to exclude
- Update your description if your business has evolved
Once a Year:
- Proper audit of everything
- Make sure all your information is still accurate
- Review the stats and see what’s working
Testing It
Try this:
- Ask ChatGPT about your business (see what it knows)
- Search Perplexity for your services
- Check if Claude can find your information
- Ask Google’s AI about your expertise
If they’re giving accurate information about you, it’s working. If not, check your llms.txt file and make sure everything’s there.
Common Questions (The Ones Everyone Asks)
“Will this help my Google rankings?”
Not directly, but indirectly? Probably. When AI assistants start recommending you, you’ll get more traffic, more brand awareness, and potentially more backlinks. All of that helps with traditional SEO.
“I’m not technical. Can I still use this?”
That’s literally why I built it. If you can use WordPress, you can use this plugin. No coding required.
“Will it slow my site down?”
No. The llms.txt file is generated on-demand and cached. It’s just text. Your site will be fine.
“What about my existing robots.txt file?”
The plugin works with whatever you’ve already got. It adds to it rather than replacing it. There’s also a full editor if you want complete control.
“Can I hide certain pages?”
Yep. There’s a field for excluded page IDs. Just pop in the IDs of any pages you don’t want included (comma-separated).
“How often do I need to update it?”
The plugin updates automatically when you publish new content. You only need to manually update your business information when something changes (new services, different contact details, that sort of thing).
“Does it work with caching plugins?”
Yes. It’s got its own caching system and plays nicely with WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket, Cloudflare, and the rest of them.
“What about WordPress multisite?”
Fully supported. Each site gets its own llms.txt file with separate settings.
“Can I see who’s been accessing it?”
Absolutely. The Access Logs tab shows you everything: which bots, when they visited, their IP addresses, the lot.
“What if an AI gives wrong information about me?”
Update your llms.txt with the correct information. AI models refresh their knowledge periodically, so the corrections will filter through eventually.
Technical Stuff
Requirements:
- WordPress 5.0 or newer
- PHP 7.4 or newer
- MySQL 5.6 or newer
Works with:
- All modern WordPress themes
- WooCommerce
- Multisite installations
- Popular caching plugins
- SEO plugins (Yoast, Rank Math, etc.)
Plugin size: About 150KB
Database: Creates one table for access logs
Performance: Negligible impact (it’s cached and only generated when requested)
What It Costs
Current Version: 2.5.0
Cost: £7.90
Made by: Consilium Design Ltd
What we do: WordPress, SEO, and digital marketing for small businesses
Why Bother?
Here’s the thing: AI-powered search isn’t coming. It’s already here. People are using ChatGPT instead of Google. They’re asking Claude for recommendations. They’re trusting Perplexity to find them services.
And if those AI assistants don’t know you exist, you’re missing out on potential customers.
Your competitors might not have figured this out yet. But they will. And when they do, you want to already be there, established, with your information properly indexed by every AI assistant out there.
This plugin makes that happen without any of the usual technical faff.
Get Started
Download Consilium LLMs.txt Pro and get your WordPress site AI-discoverable. Takes about five minutes to set up, and then it just works.
Links:
Recent Updates
Version 2.5.0 (December 2024)
- Added full robots.txt visual editor (no more FTP!)
- View live robots.txt button
- Reset to defaults functionality
- Improved admin interface with helpful tips
- Smart priority system for robots.txt rules
Version 2.4.0 (December 2024)
- Custom robots.txt rules (append mode)
- Enhanced bot detection (now recognises 25+ bots)
- Improved access logging
- Better statistics dashboard
Version 2.3.0 (November 2024)
- Access logging and analytics
- Bot detection and identification
- Improved caching
- Multisite compatibility fixes
Version 2.0.0 (November 2024)
- Initial public release
- Dynamic llms.txt generation
- Business information management
- Content inclusion controls
- Robots.txt integration
The Bottom Line
AI assistants are how people find businesses now. Make sure they can find yours.
Install LLMs.txt Pro, fill in your information, and let AI assistants do the recommending.
