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PDF optimization

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PDF (portable document format) files are documents created within Adobe Acrobat that are commonly used for saving documents and publications in a standard format, such as eBooks and whitepapers. It's always preferred to display content as an HTML page over a PDF.

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PDF production guidance

If there's a strong case to create a PDF, follow these best practices for optimization when designing a PDF:

  1. Use a relevant, keyword-rich file name in all lowercase letters, using dashes to separate words.

  2. Add an optimized title with specific, long-tail queries. (You'll find this in the Properties section for "Title.")

  3. Add an optimized description and include primary and secondary keywords near the beginning. (You'll find this in the Properties section for "Subject.")

  4. Include image alt text.

  5. Align content to the left side of the page for mobile use.

  6. Use headings, bullet points and bold text to break up content.

  7. Include internal and/or external links.

  8. Compress images within the PDF, since load speed is an important ranking factor.

  9. Keep file size as small as possible and ensure PDF is enabled for “Fast Web View.”

  10. Make the font legible, especially for mobile consumption.

  11. Check for any accessibility issues.

  12. Set the reading language.

When the PDF is ready to be uploaded to the website, make sure it's linked to on a page. By doing this, it passes on link authority to the PDF file, enabling it to rank for relevant keywords.

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SEO impact

  • Google can crawl, index and rank PDFs. They are sometimes included as Featured Snippets. Images in PDFs are indexed in Google Image search results.
    • But, PDFs are harder for a search engine like Google to understand. Best practice is to always display content as an HTML page over a PDF, so we’re not forcing users to browse a PDF. Also, PDFs aren’t always mobile-friendly.
      • Because PDFs rarely change, they tend to be crawled less often than pages that are updated more frequently.

      • Keep in mind that if our pages and PDFs have the same content, Google tends to prefer the page version of the content as the lead version. Also, the HTML page and the PDF can end up appearing in the same search result, thus competing with each other.

       

      Character considerations

      • PDF meta titles maximum length: 60 characters

      • PDF meta descriptions maximum length: 170 characters
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      Updated: 3/9/2022

      Sources: Search Engine Journal, Moz, Semrush, Backlinko, ahrefs