After the release of LLMs.txt, ninety percent of the files were not requested, is this number looking at the access log?
After the LLMs.txt file was released, more than 90% did not receive any requests. Is this statistic looking at the access log? Yes, this is the server access log criteria, not the crawler list or reference statistics. The two studies reviewed that day had different tasks: one counted about three million domain names, looking at 'whether this file was placed', about 10% were placed; the other looked at 'whether there were any requests after being placed' in the self-analysis data of more than ten thousand sites, and the conclusion was that 97% of the files did not receive any visits. The two numbers measure different things, and they were misunderstood when put in one sentence.
What do the two groups of numbers measure
The adoption rate is the result of external scanning: the program goes to request the fixed path of the target domain, and the content is returned even if there is no. It answers the question of 'how many people are doing this', and belongs to ecological observation.
The read rate is the result of the site's own logs: in the domains where files have already been placed, filter out the model grab by user-agent and see if there are any requests for the path. It answers the question of 'is it useful after doing it', and belongs to effect observation.
The latter is harder because it does not rely on guessing: the crawling behavior leaves real records in the logs. It is also more conservative - even if requests appear in the logs, it does not mean that the content is therefore cited. There was also a judgment in the second study reviewed that day: this file currently does not affect how the system sees or references content.
What columns should be considered in the log scope?
Follow three steps when self-checking. The first step is to filter paths in the log, isolate requests for the file, and note that some crawlers may request both with and without a slash. The second step is to group by user-agent, separate mainstream model crawlers from self-built spiders, and only then can you get a readable conclusion. The third step is to check the return status, and files that exist but return an abnormal code will be counted as 'requests made but not read'.
Do not skip the second step in sequence: just looking at the total number of requests will also include ordinary user access, resulting in an obviously higher conclusion.
After placing the file, what needs to be verified?
The purpose of placing the file itself is not the goal, it solves the problem of 'how the model understands the site structure'. The real factor in whether it can be read is crawling and collection: the sitemap must allow new pages to be discovered, and link push and active push should shorten the interval between publishing time and crawling. llms.txt is parallel to these two things, not a substitute.
Therefore, a reasonable self-check list is: whether the file is accessible and returns normally, whether the crawler appears in the logs, whether the sitemap covers the answer pages, and how long after a new page is published does it appear in the index. Only one of the four items is related to this file.
Common questions
Almost no one requests it, should we still release it?The cost of releasing it is very low, it is automatically generated within the site and does not require manual maintenance; but don't treat it as the main means of visibility.
Is it blocked if there are no requests in the log?It's not necessarily so, it could be that the crawler has never come, or it could be that the path formatting or cache return is inconsistent, and we need to check separately in three steps.
Can it be used to replace the sitemap?No, the two serve different reading methods, and the inclusion side still takes the sitemap and push as the standard.