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  • Dofollow Digest #29: LLMS.txt is your AI citation strategy

Dofollow Digest #29: LLMS.txt is your AI citation strategy

Author

Eric Carrell
June 06, 2025

Hey, it's Eric 👋

While everyone's debating whether AI will kill SEO, smart SaaS companies are quietly positioning themselves to win in the new landscape. Case in point: LLMS.txt files are starting to show up everywhere, and most people have no idea what they actually do.

I'll break down why this matters for your link building strategy below. Plus, we've got the usual roundup of what's happening in search and digital PR.

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🔍 DEEP DIVE: LLMS.txt Isn't the New Robots.txt – It's Your AI Citation Strategy

If you've heard someone call LLMS.txt "the new robots.txt," they're missing the point entirely. This isn't about blocking AI crawlers or controlling access to your content. It's about something much more valuable: getting your content cited when AI models generate answers.

What's Actually Happening

OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, and other AI companies are starting to reference LLMS.txt files when their models need real-time information. When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity a question that requires current data, these models don't just rely on their training. They browse the web in real-time, looking for authoritative sources to cite.

That's where LLMS.txt comes in. It's essentially a curated sitemap that tells AI models, "Here's our best, most citable content." Think of it as handing an AI explorer a treasure map with X marks pointing to your most valuable insights.

Why SaaS Companies Should Care

For SaaS companies, this represents a massive opportunity that most are sleeping on. While your competitors are still optimizing for traditional search rankings, you can position yourself as the go-to source for AI-powered answers in your industry.

The key is understanding what makes content "LLM-friendly." AI models prefer content that's easy to parse: clear headings, scannable paragraphs, bulleted lists, and semantic cues like "The key takeaway is..." or "In summary..." Sound familiar? These are the same principles that make content linkable for digital PR.

The Link Building Connection

Here's the practical application: when you're creating content that you hope will earn links from industry publications, you're already structuring it for comprehension. That same content is perfect for LLMS.txt inclusion. Your in-depth guides, research reports, and authoritative resources that journalists love to cite? Those are exactly what AI models want to reference too.

The format is simple. Create a plain text file at yourdomain.com/llms.txt with one URL per line, pointing to your best content. Focus on evergreen pieces that answer specific questions in your industry. Skip the marketing fluff and homepage content – AI models want substance, not sales copy.

What makes this particularly interesting for link building is the network effect. When your content gets cited in AI-generated responses, it builds awareness and authority that translates into more inbound link opportunities. Publishers and researchers who see your insights quoted in AI tools are more likely to reference your work in their own articles.

My Take

The biggest mistake SaaS companies can make is treating LLMS.txt like another SEO checkbox. This isn't about gaming algorithms – it's about positioning your expertise where the conversation is happening.

We're seeing the early stages of a new type of digital authority. Companies that understand how to structure their expertise for AI citation will have a significant advantage in both search visibility and link acquisition. The same content strategies that work for earning high-quality backlinks are perfectly positioned for this new landscape.

🔗 LINK ROUNDUP

Til next time,

Eric