Squarespace LLMS.txt: What it does & do you need it
Squarespace now gives website owners a dedicated place to add an llms.txt file. If you have spotted the setting and wondered what to put in it, whether it matters or whether it will help AI tools recommend your business, you are asking the right questions.
Our view: it is worth understanding and can be a useful addition to a well-organised website. Its value depends on the information you provide, and it comes with limitations. Before adding another task to your website checklist, here is what the feature actually does and where we would put it on your priority list.
What is llms.txt?
An llms.txt file is a text file designed to help large language models, or LLMs, find and interpret important website information.
It uses Markdown, a simple format for headings, descriptions and links. Think of it as a short, curated introduction to your website, pointing to the information you consider most useful.
For a service business, that could include a brief business description and links to service pages, an about page, selected resources and contact information.
The idea is to give tools that choose to use the file a clearer starting point for navigating your content. The llms.txt proposal describes the approach, but publishing a file does not mean every AI platform will read or follow it.
What does Squarespace’s feature change?
Squarespace now provides native support for llms.txt on version 7.1 websites.
You can find the setting under SEO/AI Visibility → SEO Settings → LLMS.txt. The file is disabled by default. Adding your text and saving enables it.
This gives website owners a dedicated place to publish and maintain the file within Squarespace. You still need to decide what information belongs in it and keep that information accurate. Read Squarespace’s setup guidance.
That is the practical change: the platform handles the publishing mechanism, while you handle the content.
For a small business, this makes llms.txt a manageable website maintenance task. It also raises a useful question: can you clearly explain your business and identify the pages that best represent it?
If that feels difficult, your website may need some attention before you write the file.
Will llms.txt get your business recommended by AI?
You should not expect an llms.txt file to produce recommendations simply because it exists.
Publishing one cannot guarantee:
That an AI tool will retrieve or use it.
That your business will appear in an answer.
That a tool will describe your business accurately.
Higher search rankings, more traffic or more enquiries.
For Google specifically, the guidance is clear: websites do not need special AI text files or additional schema to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Established SEO practices still apply, and inclusion is not guaranteed. Google’s guidance on AI search features.
Treat llms.txt as an optional supporting resource. The useful question is whether it provides a concise, accurate introduction to information already available on your website.
Clear service pages still do the commercial work
A potential customer needs to understand what you offer, whether it suits their situation and what to do next.
Consider the difference between these two descriptions:
“Transformative solutions for ambitious businesses.”
“Brand strategy and website design for professional service businesses preparing to reposition or expand.”
The second gives someone much more to work with. It names the service, the audience and the situation in which it becomes useful.
Review each core service page and ask:
Does it clearly name the service?
Does it explain who the service is for?
Does it describe the problem you help solve?
Does it show what the engagement includes?
Does it provide relevant evidence or examples?
Is the next step obvious?
These details support real buying decisions. A file linking to a vague service page still sends readers and tools to a vague service page.
At Gem Media, we would prioritise making the destination useful before spending time perfecting the summary that points to it.
Useful content gives people a reason to choose you
Your website should answer the questions that come up before someone feels ready to enquire or buy.
For a consultancy, that might mean explaining what happens during an assessment, what the client needs to prepare and what they receive afterwards.
For a product business, it could mean showing how a product works, what is included and which situations it suits.
For a design studio, a useful case study might explain the original business problem, the decisions behind the work and the result.
Start with the questions you already answer in sales calls and customer emails. Those questions reveal where buyers need more clarity.
A small collection of specific, well-maintained resources can make your website more useful than a large collection of loosely related articles. Each page should have a clear job, whether that is explaining an offer, resolving uncertainty or demonstrating expertise.
Accurate business information is part of that foundation
It is easy for a website to accumulate conflicting details as a business changes.
Your homepage may describe an older offer. A downloadable brochure may list an outdated process. Your contact page might mention a location you no longer serve.
Before creating your llms.txt file, check the information that shapes a customer’s understanding of your business:
Business name and description.
Current services or products.
Locations and service areas.
Contact details and enquiry links.
Team information and relevant credentials.
Published pricing, inclusions and availability.
Use the same review to check the links you plan to include in the file. They should lead to current, public pages that accurately represent your business.
When your offers change, update the relevant pages and then review the file. Treat it as part of your existing website maintenance process.
Does your business need an llms.txt file?
Our recommendation is to consider it once your core website information is in good shape.
It is a reasonable next step if your service pages are clear, your information is current and you can maintain the file without creating unnecessary work.
If your website still contains outdated offers, broken links or unclear descriptions, address those first. Those improvements help the people already visiting your website and provide stronger information for search systems to work with.
A sensible order is:
Clarify your core service or product pages.
Correct outdated or inconsistent business information.
Add useful answers and evidence where buyers need them.
Create an llms.txt file using the strongest relevant pages.
Review it when you make meaningful website changes.
The aim is a website that accurately represents your business and helps people make informed decisions.
What to do next?
Start with your most commercially important page.
Read it as someone encountering your business for the first time. Can they understand what you offer, who it is for and why they should consider you?
Make that page clear and useful. Then build your llms.txt file around information you are confident represents your business well.
Create an accurate llms.txt file for your Squarespace website
The Squarespace llms.txt & AI Website Kit is a practical, step-by-step guide for business owners and marketers who do not want to start with a blank field or guess what information belongs in their file. It helps you clarify what your business does, identify the pages that matter and organise that information into a concise llms.txt file.
Inside the kit:
Three llms.txt templates + instructions: choose from service-business, product-business and local-business.
Three completed examples: see how each template works for different business types.
Squarespace 7.1 setup instructions: learn where to add your file and how to check it correctly.
No coding experience is required · Instant digital download · 14-page PDF guide
Please note: llms.txt is an emerging convention. Publishing a file does not guarantee that AI systems will retrieve or use it and it cannot guarantee rankings, traffic, enquiries or recommendations.
Want your business to appear more in AI search?
Need a clearer framework for reviewing your website as a whole? Get the LLMS.txt Template and AI Website Guide for an editable llms.txt template, structured-data checklist and content-formatting guidance.
Squarespace now supports llms.txt. Here is what the feature changes, what it cannot promise and where it belongs on your website priority list.