Why LLM-Only Pages Aren’t the Answer to AI Search in 2026

As AI-powered search continues to evolve in 2026, many SEO teams are experimenting with new tactics to gain visibility in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. One trend gaining attention is the creation of “LLM-only” pages—content designed specifically for machines, not human users.

These include markdown files, JSON feeds, /ai/ directories, and llms.txt files that strip away navigation, design, and interactivity in favor of “pure” text.

At first glance, the idea sounds logical: make content easier for AI systems to parse, and you’ll earn more citations.

But real-world data tells a very different story.

The Rise of LLM-Only Pages

Across tech, SaaS, and documentation-heavy websites, teams are rolling out AI-specific content formats such as:

1. llms.txt Files
A markdown file placed at the root of a domain (/llms.txt) that highlights key pages for AI systems. Introduced in 2024, it’s intended to help large language models understand site structure and priorities. Many well-known brands have experimented with this approach—but adoption remains limited and inconsistent.

2. Markdown (.md) Versions of Pages
Some sites create stripped-down markdown copies of existing pages by appending .md to URLs. These versions remove CSS, JavaScript, and navigation, leaving only text and basic formatting.
The assumption: fewer technical layers make content more “AI-friendly.”

3. Dedicated /ai or /llm Sections
Entire parallel content libraries live under paths like /ai/ or /llm/, sometimes with more detail than the main site, sometimes just reformatted versions of existing pages.
To human visitors, these pages often feel outdated or unfinished—but they’re built purely for bots.

4. Structured JSON Metadata
Some companies expose product specs, pricing, or documentation as clean JSON files. This approach is most common in ecommerce and SaaS environments where structured data already exists internally.

Do These Pages Actually Get Cited by AI?

That’s the real question—and multiple large-scale analyses suggest the answer is mostly no.

Key Findings from Real-World Citation Data

• llms.txt files: Almost never cited unless they contain unique, genuinely useful information not found elsewhere.
• Markdown page copies: Received zero citations when HTML versions already existed.
• /ai pages: Citation rates ranged widely, but only performed well when they included substantially more information than standard pages.
• JSON metadata: Sometimes cited—but only when the data was exclusive and unavailable elsewhere on the site.

In short, format alone doesn’t drive AI visibility. Content value does.

Large-Scale SEO Data Confirms the Pattern

A broader analysis of hundreds of thousands of domains showed:

• Only about 1 in 10 websites use llms.txt.
• High-traffic, authoritative sites were less likely to adopt it.
• Including llms.txt as a ranking signal actually reduced prediction accuracy for AI citations.

The conclusion was clear: llms.txt and similar formats do not improve AI visibility at scale.

What Google and AI Platforms Say

Major platforms have been consistent in their messaging:

• Google has explicitly stated it does not support llms.txt and has no plans to.
• AI systems have been trained on normal web pages from the beginning.
• No AI provider has announced special crawling or ranking benefits for LLM-only formats.

Google’s guidance remains unchanged: The same SEO best practices apply to AI features—no special optimizations required.

What This Means for SEO Teams

Creating pages that only machines will ever see is not the future of AI search optimization. The data shows:

• AI systems cite content because it is useful, clear, and authoritative
• Not because it lives in a special folder or file type

At Earn SEO, we help brands win visibility in both traditional search and the rapidly evolving world of AI-driven search. As experienced SEO experts in New York, we focus on building high-quality, user-first content that aligns with Google’s best practices and earns citations across AI platforms without relying on gimmicks like LLM-only pages. Our strategies prioritize clean site architecture, strong topical authority, and content that delivers real value to users and search engines alike. If you’re looking to future-proof your organic growth with proven, data-backed SEO strategies, we are here to help.