AI-agent readiness for WordPress
WordPress powers more of the sites we scan than anything else, and it fails in a very consistent shape: robots.txt is generated by whichever SEO plugin loaded last, llms.txt does not exist because nothing in the stack writes it, and the page an agent needs is behind an accordion that only opens in a browser. None of that is a WordPress limitation — it is a configuration nobody has been asked to make until now.
What our own scans say about WordPress
Not an estimate. These numbers come from public AIScan reports and change as we scan more.
Distinct public domains, counted once each at their most recent scan.
Mean of the latest public scan for every WordPress domain we have graded.
- 75%135 of 180
- 72%129 of 180
- 49%89 of 180
- 42%75 of 180
- 97%61 of 63
Computed from public AIScan reports, refreshed as we scan. Private reports are never included.
How WordPress sites fail, and what fixes it
Two plugins, two robots.txt files
Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO and SEOPress each want to own the virtual robots.txt. Install a second one and the output becomes whichever hooked last — usually with no AI bot rules at all, sometimes with a stale Disallow that blocks the very pages you want cited.
No llms.txt, because nothing generates it
There is no core feature that writes llms.txt, so unless a plugin does it you are shipping nothing. An agent then has to guess your structure from the sitemap, which lists every tag archive with equal weight.
The answer is inside a JavaScript tab
Page builders render prices, hours and specifications into accordions and tabs that only populate on click. The server HTML an agent reads contains the headings and none of the content.
No AI-training policy, either way
Content Signals let you say yes to search and no to training, per directive. Most WordPress sites say nothing, which agents read as an open licence — and which gives you no position to point at later.
Step-by-step fixes: /docs/platforms/wordpress · /docs/checks/content · /docs/checks/bot-access · /llms-txt-generator
Businesses running on WordPress
Someone asks an assistant for a Saturday appointment. Your hours are in an image.
A burst pipe at 7am. The assistant needs your area, your hours and a number.
The timetable is a booking widget. To an assistant, the timetable is blank.
An assistant is summarising your expertise. It can only summarise what it can read.
Deadline season, a specific question, and a fee page that says 'bespoke'.
The menu is a PDF, the hours are in a footer image, and dinner is in two hours.
Your archive is the training set. Decide the terms deliberately, then be citable.
Someone stood next to a car that will not start. The assistant needs one number.
A homeowner with three quotes and one evening to compare them.
A recurring booking is a perfect agent task — if your terms are readable.
Someone scrolling between appointments wants a price and a slot, now.
A frightened owner at 11pm asking who is open and what an emergency costs.
Someone deciding whether to ask for help at all, on a phone, at midnight.
A buyer comparing the same model across five dealers in one question.
A buyer with six listing tabs open, asking an assistant to do the comparing.
A comparison question where every competing answer is a structured product.
Job boards are the most machine-shaped content there is — and the most often hidden.
Trip planning is the flagship use case for assistants. Most operators are unreadable.
The aggregator takes a third of the order. The assistant could send it direct.
A high-consideration purchase decided by whoever answers the questions plainly.
Events are dated, ticketed and priced. They should be the easiest thing to publish.
Curriculum is text. It is also the part most often locked behind the login.
Admissions questions are seasonal, high-stakes and almost entirely factual.
Someone needs help tonight, or wants to give. Both are one readable fact away.
Questions WordPress owners ask
Which plugin should own robots.txt on WordPress?
Do I need llms.txt if I already have an XML sitemap?
Will blocking AI bots hurt my search rankings?
My page builder renders content with JavaScript. Is that fatal?
How do I check my WordPress site without installing anything?
Does a caching plugin affect the result?
Scan your WordPress site and see where you actually stand
Free, no account, about twenty seconds. The report names every failing check by ID, shows the evidence we found, and gives the fix for your platform — plus a hand-off prompt you can paste straight into Claude Code or Cursor.
npx aiscan-cli yoursite.comPrefer to read first? Browse every check we run or the guide library.