Prepare your webshop for visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI models
The world of online visibility is changing rapidly. Where SEO was for years the key to being found in search engines, a new playing field is emerging: GEO – Generative Engine Optimization. And one of the first concrete applications within this trend is llms.txt.
Although the concept is still new in 2025, it could soon become as important as robots.txt once was. In this article, we explain what llms.txt is, how to use it, and why it is a strategic move for your webshop.
What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
With GEO, it's no longer just about findability in search results, but about mentions in answers from AI systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google SGE (Search Generative Experience).
While SEO leads users to a website, GEO gives the answer directly — generated by AI based on available web information.
This makes GEO the next logical step in online marketing: making your brand or webshop visible within the answers AI systems provide.
What exactly is llms.txt?
An llms.txt is a text file that helps large language models (LLM’s) – like Gemini or ChatGPT – understand and use the right information from your website.
Unlike robots.txt, which instructs crawlers what not to index, you use llms.txt to highlight the most valuable content. It is a kind of “AI spotlight” on your most important pages, products, or knowledge articles.
LLM’s have difficulty with complex HTML pages full of navigation, ads, or scripts. With an llms.txt, you offer a clean, textual version of your most important content, allowing AI models to quickly and better understand what your brand stands for.
What to include in llms.txt?
Not everything on your site is equally important for GEO. Focus on the content that most contributes to your brand, expertise, and authority. Think of:
Important category pages or product groups
Blogs and knowledge articles that show expertise
A short, clear company introduction
Your unique selling points (USP’s)
10–20 products that best represent your brand
Once you see results, you can expand with additional content or new product groups.
The structure of an llms.txt
Place the file in the root of your domain (e.g., www.yourdomain.nl/llms.txt) and use simple markdown structure, such as:
Tip: Don't forget the ‘s’ – only llms.txt is recognized. See here the llms.txt of Epartment
Important points to consider
Focus on content that truly adds value.
Use clear language and structure, so AI understands the context.
Focus on reliability, expertise, and recency.
Don’t see llms.txt as an SEO trick, but as a strategic tool for GEO.
An llms.txt is not a sitemap and not a meta keyword tag 2.0 – it is a way to show AI systems what your brand is proud of.
What is the effect of llms.txt on GEO?
Although the standard is still in development, it is wise to anticipate it now. The first platforms (like Anthropic) already support it, and there is a good chance that Google and OpenAI will follow.
Just as with schema.org or robots.txt at the time: those who jump in early will benefit later.
Therefore, keep monitoring: does your organic traffic change, do you appear more frequently in AI answers, or do you see a shift in GEO mentions? Then you are on the right track.
Tip: Generate your own llms.txt? See https://llmstxt.firecrawl.dev/ for an easy generator
Conclusion: starting now means benefiting later
The transition from SEO to GEO is inevitable. And llms.txt is one of the first tangible steps towards a future where AI determines your visibility. Do you want to remain visible as a brand or webshop in the world of ChatGPT and Gemini?
Then now is the time to experiment with llms.txt – and thereby gain an advantage over your competitors.
