llms.txt and JSON-LD: how to get AI to recommend your website

Not long ago, getting found online meant "showing up on Google." Today, more and more people ask an AI directly: "who can build me a website in Bogotá?" or "recommend a good, affordable web design agency near me." And the AI answers with a short list of businesses, without the person ever opening ten tabs. The million-dollar question is: why would it recommend you and not your competitor?

The answer has two protagonists with technical-sounding names that are actually simple: llms.txt and JSON-LD (also called structured data or schema.org). Neither one shows up on your page; both speak to machines. In this guide we explain them the way we would over coffee with a business owner, without unnecessary jargon.

First, two new acronyms: SEO and GEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the classic one: preparing your site so search engines like Google understand it and show it when someone searches. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the new version: preparing your site so generative AI engines, like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, and Google's own AI summaries, understand you and recommend you inside their answers.

What is llms.txt? Your site's "index for robots"

Think of walking into a huge shopping mall: the first thing you look for is the map with the "you are here" dot. llms.txt is exactly that, but for AI. It is a very simple text file that lives at the root of your domain (it sits at yourdomain.com/llms.txt) and tells language models: "here is what matters on this site, and here is where everything lives." [1]

The proposal was born in 2024 from Jeremy Howard (co-founder of Answer.AI) and has been gaining ground as an open standard. [1] [2] The problem it solves is real: modern web pages are full of menus, buttons, banners, and code that are hard for an AI to digest. llms.txt hands over a tidy version, in Markdown format (plain text with headings and links), so the machine does not get lost and understands your business on the first try. [2]

This is how simple an llms.txt file looks on the inside. Notice that it is readable even for you: it is just a title, a description, and a list of links with short explanations.

# Damorus Projects

> Web design and development studio. Professional, fairly priced sites
> for small businesses, with public "Starting at" pricing.

## Plans
- [Silver Plan: digital launch](https://damorus.com/en/plans/plata): a fast landing page starting at USD 300.
- [Gold Plan: digital authority](https://damorus.com/en/plans/oro): a custom multi-page site starting at USD 1,000.
- [Diamond Plan: unlimited](https://damorus.com/en/plans/diamante): a premium e-commerce build starting at USD 5,000.

## Resources
- [Request a quote](https://damorus.com/en/start): a plan recommendation based on your goal and budget.
- [Blog](https://damorus.com/en/blog): guides on SEO, GEO, and web design.

Let's be honest: llms.txt is a young proposal, not every AI reads it the same way yet, and on its own it does not guarantee you will "rank." [2] But it costs very little to set up and points in the right direction: giving machines a clean summary of who you are. Worst case, it does no harm; best case, it makes you the easy option to cite.

What is JSON-LD (schema.org)? The "spec sheet" machines actually understand

You read your page and instantly understand that "Damorus Projects↗" is a company, that "COP 1,000,000" is a price, and that "Bogotá" is a city. A machine, on the other hand, only sees loose text: it does not know what is a price, an opening hour, or a phone number. JSON-LD is the way of tagging that information so the machine understands it without guessing.

The tagging vocabulary is called schema.org, and it is not just anyone's invention: it has been jointly maintained by Google, Microsoft (Bing), Yahoo, and Yandex since 2011. [4] In other words, it is the common language the major search engines agreed on to describe things in the real world (a company, a product, an event, a recipe, a review...). JSON-LD is simply the recommended format for writing that language inside your site. [5]

It goes inside an invisible block within the page's code (a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag). It changes nothing your customer sees: it is a separate message, meant only for search engines and AI. Google recommends it over other formats precisely because it is clean and does not clutter the design. [5] [7]

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ProfessionalService",
  "name": "Damorus Projects",
  "description": "Engineering, science, and AI studio that builds complete digital projects.",
  "url": "https://damorus.com/en",
  "telephone": "+49-176-4454-2881",
  "priceRange": "$500 - $5,000 USD",
  "areaServed": [
    { "@type": "City", "name": "Bogotá" },
    { "@type": "City", "name": "Berlin" },
    { "@type": "Country", "name": "Colombia" }
  ],
  "makesOffer": [
    {
      "@type": "Offer",
      "name": "Silver Plan",
      "priceCurrency": "USD",
      "price": "500"
    }
  ]
}
</script>

Read it without fear: "@type": "ProfessionalService" means "I am a professional service"; areaServed lists the cities where you work; and each Offer is a plan with its price. When Google or an AI reads this, it stops guessing: it knows exactly what you offer, where, and starting from how much. That is the whole trick.

Why this matters to you (even if you are not technical)

• You show up "enriched" on Google. Structured data is what triggers rich results: review stars, prices, expandable FAQs. That gets more people to click on you. [5] [7]
• AI can cite you. A business with tagged information is an easy business for ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google's AI summaries to recommend. You hand them the answer, ready to go. [8]
• You reduce misunderstandings. If your price, phone number, or hours are tagged, it is far less likely a machine will show outdated or wrong information about your business.
• It is cheap and lasts. You set it up once and it works for you 24/7, with no paid ads. It is one of the best effort-to-reward ratios in digital marketing.

“JSON-LD is the structured-data format Google prefers. It helps search engines understand your content and can improve how you appear in results.”

How does this work in practice?

1. 1We organize the information. We define the essentials: what you do, where, "starting at" prices, phone number, hours, and real frequently asked questions.
2. 2We tag it with JSON-LD. We translate that into schema.org (business, offers, FAQ, reviews) and insert it as an invisible block in your site. [4] [6]
3. 3We summarize it in llms.txt. We publish an llms.txt with the key links, so AI has a clean map of your site. [1]
4. 4We validate it. We use Google's own tools to confirm the data reads without errors. [5]
5. 5We maintain it. When a price or a service changes, we update the tags so machines always show the right information.

In short: llms.txt is the map you hand AI, and JSON-LD is the spec sheet you hand search engines. Neither one is visible, both work in your favor, and together they make sure that when someone asks about a business like yours, the name that comes up is yours. Want your site ready for this new era? Request a quote and we will get it running.