Make your manufacturing website readable for AI agents

Buyers now ask ChatGPT, Claude or their own agent: who can make this part? Agents answer from what they can read. A clear, structured website gets you named. A brochure site made of images and PDFs does not.

Claim your listing and get your file Check my site

The six steps

1. Publish your Manufacturer Profile

One JSON file at https://yourcompany.com/.well-known/manufacturer.json with your processes, materials, certifications, order sizes, lead time and contact. It is an open standard, free to use. The fastest way: claim your listing, confirm what we found, and copy the file we generate for you. Then check it.

2. Add an llms.txt

A short plain-text description of your company at /llms.txt. Template:

# Your Company Name
> CNC machining and sheet metal fabrication in Houston, TX, for prototypes and small batches.

## Capabilities
- Processes: CNC machining, laser cutting, welding
- Materials: aluminium, stainless steel, steel
- Certifications: ISO 9001
- CAD formats accepted: STEP, DXF
- Typical lead time: 10 days
- Minimum order quantity: 1 piece

## Quote requests
- https://yourcompany.com/quote

3. Add structured data to your home page

Paste this into the <head> of your home page and adjust the values.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Your Company Name",
  "url": "https://yourcompany.com",
  "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Houston", "addressCountry": "US" },
  "knowsAbout": ["CNC machining", "Laser cutting", "Welding"],
  "makesOffer": [
    { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "CNC machining" } },
    { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Laser cutting" } }
  ]
}
</script>

4. Let AI crawlers in

Many sites block these crawlers by accident, often through a security plugin or an old robots.txt. Check yours at /robots.txt.

# Let search and AI assistants read this site
User-agent: GPTBot
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
User-agent: ClaudeBot
User-agent: PerplexityBot
User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://yourcompany.com/sitemap.xml

5. Make quote requests easy for machines

Use a plain HTML form. A form that only works behind a CAPTCHA wall or inside an embedded widget cannot be used by an agent.
Say which files you accept (STEP, DXF, STL) and show a visible email address as a second way in.
Ask only what you need to quote: material, quantity, file, deadline.

6. Write your capabilities as text

Put processes, materials, maximum part size, tolerances, certifications, typical lead time and minimum order on one page as text or a simple table. Information that exists only in images, slideshows or scanned PDFs is invisible to agents.

Publishing the file on your platform

Your own hosting (cPanel, FTP, SSH): create a folder named .well-known in your site's root directory (often public_html) and upload manufacturer.json into it.
WordPress: use your hosting file manager or FTP the same way. Clear your caching plugin afterwards. If a security plugin or Cloudflare rule blocks dot-folders, allow the path /.well-known/.
Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, Webflow: these platforms generally do not let you serve a file at that path. Claim your listing instead: your profile stays available to agents through this directory. Steps 2 to 6 still work on your own site.

Test it

Our checker validates your Manufacturer Profile and can ask us to read your site right away.
WebMCP Tool checks whether agents can reach and use your pages and forms, with 25 documented checks.
Ask an assistant yourself: "Which companies offer CNC machining for aluminium prototypes in [your city]?" and see whether you are named. It takes time for assistants to pick up changes, so check again in a few weeks.

Common mistakes

Capabilities only in a PDF brochure or a slideshow.
A contact form that fails without JavaScript or behind a CAPTCHA only.
Blocking AI crawlers by accident.
Publishing certifications you do not hold. Buyers check, and agents compare.
Forgetting to update the file when you add a machine or a certification. Put the date in updated.

Questions

Do I need a developer?

Not for the file. The Manufacturer Profile is one JSON file; you can generate it from your confirmed listing or with an AI assistant, and upload it with your hosting file manager. Your web agency can do it in minutes.

My site is on Wix, Squarespace, Shopify or Webflow and I cannot create /.well-known/manufacturer.json. What now?

Claim your listing. Your confirmed profile stays available to agents through this directory, and you can still add structured data and a clear capabilities page to your own site.

Does llms.txt help?

It is an emerging convention. Some assistants read it, search engines do not rely on it. It costs five minutes and does no harm, so add it, but do the Manufacturer Profile and the plain-text capabilities page first.

Will this get me orders?

It makes it possible for buyers' agents to find and understand you. It cannot promise volume. Companies with a valid profile are ranked higher in our matching and show exactly what they offer.

Want us to remove your company instead? Send yourself the link; the page has a removal button, one click, final.