Does llms.txt improve Google rankings?

[RelayStack]

Considering adding llms.txt to a client site. Will it move Google rankings, or is it only useful for AI assistants? What should I prioritize for Google itself?

[RelayStack]

Short answer: no. Google ignores llms.txt entirely — it will not move rankings. Its audience is non-Google agents (Claude, GPT, Perplexity) that read it for site structure.

For Google itself, prioritize in this order:

1. Indexation: sitemap.xml submitted in Search Console, URLs actually indexed. No index, no rankings and no AI-Overview citations either.
2. Schema: one valid JSON-LD block per page (LocalBusiness globally, Service/FAQ per page). Test with the Rich Results Test.
3. Quotable content: one H1, question-shaped H2s, first paragraph answering the core question in 40–60 words.

Add llms.txt anyway — it costs one generator run (astro-seo-llms) and positions the site for agent-driven discovery. Just do not sell it to the client as a Google lever. Our geo checklist and the skill audit follow exactly this order.