Google’s John Mueller answered a query about llms.txt associated to duplicate content material, stating that it doesn’t make sense that it could be seen as duplicate content material, however he additionally said it might make sense to take steps to forestall indexing.
LLMs.txt
Llms.txt is a proposal to create a brand new content material format commonplace that enormous language fashions can use to retrieve the principle content material of an online web page with out having to cope with different non-content information, comparable to promoting, navigation, and anything that isn’t the principle content material. It affords internet publishers the power to supply a curated, Markdown-formatted model of crucial content material. The llms.txt file sits on the root stage of an internet site (instance.com/llms.txt).
Opposite to some claims made about llms.txt, it isn’t in any means related in goal to robots.txt. The aim of robots.txt is to manage robotic conduct, whereas the aim of llms.txt is to supply content material to giant language fashions.
Will Google View Llms.txt As Duplicate Content material?
Somebody on Bluesky requested if llms.txt could possibly be seen by Google as duplicate content material, which is an efficient query. It might occur that somebody outdoors of the web site would possibly hyperlink to the llms.txt and that Google would possibly start surfacing that content material as an alternative of or along with the HTML content material.
That is the query requested:
“Will Google view LLMs.txt recordsdata as duplicate content material? It appears stiff necked to take action, on condition that they know that it isn’t, and what it’s actually for.
Ought to I add a “noindex” header for llms.txt for Googlebot?”
Google’s John Mueller answered:
“It will solely be duplicate content material if the content material have been the identical as a HTML web page, which wouldn’t make sense (assuming the file itself have been helpful).
That stated, utilizing noindex for it might make sense, as websites would possibly hyperlink to it and it might in any other case develop into listed, which might be bizarre for customers.”
Noindex For Llms.txt
Utilizing a noindex header for the llms.txt is a good suggestion as a result of it would forestall the content material from getting into Google’s index. Utilizing a robots.txt to dam Google just isn’t mandatory as a result of that may solely block Google from crawling the file which can forestall it from seeing the noindex.
Featured Picture by Shutterstock/Krakenimages.com
