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llms.txt GeneratorAverage citations are functionally flat with and without the file
Average citations are 6.8 with llms.txt and 6.7 without it in the study.
The published group means differ by 0.1 citations.
The numbers behind it.
- Average citations with llms.txt
- Mean citations for domains with llms.txt.
- 6.8
- Average citations without llms.txt
- Mean citations for domains without llms.txt.
- 6.7
The evidence.
Source
The llms.txt Effect
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Average citations with llms.txt Mean citations for domains with llms.txt. | 6.8 |
| Average citations without llms.txt Mean citations for domains without llms.txt. | 6.7 |
Population and method
Built from HTTP scans of 37,894 AI-cited domains, linked to 337,362 citations and 882 citation snapshots in the Trakkr corpus.
Where the evidence stops
This is an observational study. It measures correlation with citation outcomes, not a controlled experiment.
Adoption is uneven by sector, so raw averages can hide category concentration in SaaS and developer tooling.
The top-5,000 test returns p=0.85. The full scanned sample returns p<0.001 with reported r=-0.065. Neither establishes a causal effect. The public aggregates do not include confidence intervals or document the cohort for citation means and medians well enough to recompute the tests.
What to do with this
A small difference in means alone cannot establish causal or practical significance.
Cite this fact.
Source study: llms.txt Effect“Average citations are 6.8 with llms.txt and 6.7 without it in the study.”
The llms.txt Effect - Trakkr Research · Average citations are functionally flat with and without the file
The llms.txt Effect · Trakkr Research · Updated 4 September 2026