# AI search visibility

> **The goal is accuracy, not ranking.** More prospective clients now ask an AI assistant about a therapist before booking, and the failure to prevent is one confidently saying you take insurance, or that you see clients in a state you're not licensed in. Two small text files make the accurate version easy to find, in about an hour.

Both go in your website's root folder, served at `yourpractice.com/robots.txt` and `yourpractice.com/llms.txt`. Squarespace and Wix may limit you to their built-in robots settings; `llms.txt` can sometimes be added as a page, or skipped.

---

## 1. robots.txt: who may read your site

A practice website is public marketing copy, so there's little reason to block AI crawlers. Blocking **search and retrieval** crawlers removes you from AI search results. Allowing **training** crawlers is optional, and reasonable for a practice that wants to be known.

Download: **[robots.txt](files/robots.txt)**

```
# yourpractice.com: crawler policy

# --- Conventional search ---
User-agent: Googlebot
Allow: /

User-agent: Bingbot
Allow: /

# --- AI search & retrieval (blocking these removes you from AI search) ---
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /

User-agent: Claude-SearchBot
Allow: /

User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /

# --- User-triggered fetchers (someone pastes your URL into a chat) ---
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /

User-agent: Claude-User
Allow: /

User-agent: Perplexity-User
Allow: /

# --- Training crawlers: allowed by choice ---
User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /

User-agent: CCBot
Allow: /

User-agent: Applebot
Allow: /

# --- Aggressive / undeclared scrapers: blocked ---
User-agent: Bytespider
Disallow: /

# --- Default ---
User-agent: *
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://yourpractice.com/sitemap.xml
```

- **Don't list `Google-Extended` or `Applebot-Extended`** unless you want to opt *out* of AI training. They exist only as opt-out switches.
- robots.txt is a request that nothing enforces. Never rely on it to protect anything private, and never put anything client-related on a public site.

## 2. llms.txt: the accurate summary

A short Markdown file with the facts you most need an assistant to get right. It isn't a formal standard yet, but it's cheap to add and gives a model a clean source to quote.

Download: **[llms.txt](files/llms.txt)**

```markdown
# [Practice Name]

> [Private-pay telehealth / in-person] psychotherapy for [population]
> located in [Washington / Rhode Island]. Primary focus: [focus].

## Links

- [About]([url])
- [Services]([url])
- [Fees and insurance]([url])
- [Contact and scheduling]([url])

## About

[Your Name] is a [credential] licensed in [Washington / Rhode Island], practicing
since [year]. [Practice Name] is a solo [telehealth] practice. Clients
must be physically located in [WA / RI] at the time of session.

[Two or three sentences on who you help, in plain language.]

## Practical details

- **Format:** [Telehealth only / In person at City, State, and telehealth]
- **Insurance:** Out-of-network with all plans. Clients pay directly;
  superbills are provided on request.
- **Fee:** [fee] per session.
- **Hours:** [days and hours], [time zone].
- **Cancellation:** [policy].
- **Getting started:** [how to book a consultation].
```

**Check every fact before publishing:** license, states, insurance language, and fees.

## 3. After publishing

- Visit both URLs and confirm they show plain text rather than your 404 page.
- A few weeks later, ask ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity: *"What do you know about [Your Name], therapist in [state]? Do they take insurance?"* Correct anything wrong at the source: your site and directory profiles.
- Update `llms.txt` whenever your fee, hours, or focus changes.