SEO for PDFs.

Why you might want to improve SEO for PDFs.

SEO is the process of improving a website to increase its visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), such as Google and Bing. Its primary purpose is to help content rank well in results pages and drive organic traffic to your website.

Google analyses, stores, and organises billions of documents a day, including webpages and PDF files. While PDFs can be indexed by search engines, they often lack the clear metadata and hierarchical structure needed to understand them. This can lead to HTML pages ranking higher in search results instead.

That’s not to say PDFs are bad for SEO. In fact, they’re particularly ideal for high-quality, in-depth content, such as whitepapers or educational guides. And if you incorporate OCR scanning, even better.

Whether you’re digitising marketing materials or running courses as part of training and development for your business, improving SEO for PDFs presents a great opportunity to generate traffic to your site.

Choose the right filename.

The filename of your PDF is arguably one of the most important elements of discovery. It will appear in the SERPs, so it should be meaningful and relevant for visitors.

Ensure your PDF includes an SEO-friendly filename, with target keywords separated by hyphens, and stick to a limit between 55 and 70 characters.

Change metadata.

Similar to the filename, your PDF should also include clear metadata, such as a meta title and description. These should define what your PDF is about and incorporate keywords that search engines will pick up.

You can do so via Adobe Acrobat by following these steps:

1. Open your PDF and click on File.
2. Navigate to Document Properties.
3. Enter the meta title in the Title field.
4. Enter the meta description in the Subject field.

Employ keywords.

Keywords are a vital part of SEO for PDF files, making documents significantly more searchable, discoverable, and accessible in search engines. They also tell readers what to expect. Identify one or two phrases that highlight the PDF’s core content and include them throughout the copy.

Avoid keyword stuffing though, as this can mislead search engines and potentially hurt your rankings.

Add headings.

Just like a typical webpage, your PDFs should also include headings. They’re crucial for search engines and visitors to quickly understand the document’s content and hierarchy.

Break up your PDF content into headings, subheadings, and bulleted lists to make it easier to skim. Incorporate an H1, H2, and H3 structure for organisation, and don’t forget to include keywords.

Insert links.

PDFs and SEO internal linking go hand in hand when adding value to your website. It also helps search engines to better understand your content. Include internal links and anchor text in your PDF document that lead to relevant sections of your website.

You may also wish to add external links from reputable sites – such as a government report or scientific study – to improve your page’s authority.

Add canonical tags.

On a more technical note, adding a canonical tag (rel=canonical) to your PDF tells search engines that your document is the original version. This is especially crucial if you offer both a webpage and a PDF version with the same content, such as datasheets.

Canonical tags are an important tool to direct search engines to display your PDF as the preferred content, so it doesn’t compete with the rest of your website.