Wiki · citable explainer
llms.txt explains what a business says about itself; independently verifiable identity gives AI systems a clearer way to reconcile that claim with a traceable business.
llms.txt and business verification are complementary layers. llms.txt is a concise, self-published guide to a website. Business verification is a traceable identity record that helps reconcile those claims with a real-world entity. Neither guarantees citation or ranking.
llms.txt provides curated orientation: official name, services, and the most useful pages. Verified identity provides stable entity facts, registry anchors where available, and a permanent verification URL with a forensic hash. Structured data (JSON-LD) should agree across website, llms.txt, and passport.
A recommendation is a higher bar than a mention. Relevance remains primary. Clear explanation plus traceable identity reduce avoidable ambiguity — especially for SMEs that lack Wikipedia/Wikidata presence.
Passports publish reviewed public evidence at /v/{hash}/ with server-side JSON-LD and /v/{hash}/llms.txt companions. Association inventory uses real place and activity Wikidata Qs only — never invented SME items.
Does an llms.txt file guarantee that an AI system will mention or recommend my business?
No. llms.txt does not guarantee mention, citation, ranking, or recommendation. It is an emerging convention for concise machine-readable site context.
If my business has llms.txt, why would it also need AI Verified?
They answer different questions. llms.txt answers what the website says. An AI Verified passport answers whether the identity can be tied to a traceable business at a stable public URL.
Do LLMs always use Wikipedia or Wikidata to verify businesses?
No. Different products use different data mixes. Many legitimate SMEs will never qualify for Wikipedia notability.
What does a SHA-256 hash prove about a business passport?
A SHA-256 hash is a tamper-evident fingerprint. If recorded identity data changes, the hash changes. It does not guarantee ranking.
Can a verified identity record improve the chance of being recommended by AI?
It can improve information quality when a business is otherwise relevant, but it cannot guarantee a recommendation.