Some people post PDF files on the web because they think that this file format serves as the best digital representation of printed documents. But there are things you should keep in mind when posting PDF files, such as design and performance issues.
To avoid such problems when posting PDFs on the web, I listed some of the best practices to that end. Read on below to know more.
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1#) Make Sure Your PDF File is Designed for the Web
A great number of PDFs are optimized for printing and not for posting on the web. If you don’t design it for posting online, download speed will surely be slow.
Use online software like pdfbear split to break the pages of a large PDF file. In this way, you only post the necessary pages on the web and reduce the download speed when the user wants to save the file on your computer.
You can also use a PDF optimizer to make sure that the size of your PDF file isn’t that large. Look for instructions from the user community of Adobe Acrobat on how to optimize your PDF file for the web.
When creating a PDF file from a Microsoft Word document, ensure that the original Word document is accessible before converting it to PDF.
Make sure that the title for the PDF on the webpage is descriptive and easy to read. Don’t post a PDF file on the web with a title using its original file name like “guidelines-2020.pdf” because that won’t be appealing to the readers. If you upload a PDF file on WordPress or any other content management system, there’s an option for you to provide the title for your content.
It’s a must to provide your readers with some introduction regarding the PDF file you’ll upload. You can write a few sentences or a bullet list that summarizes or describes what they’ll read in the PDF file.
Identifying the file as a PDF is necessary. It’s also important to type in information, such as the size of the file and its number of pages. This serves as supplementary information about your PDF file.
2#) Various Reasons for Posting PDF Files on Your Website
While there are people who will advise you not to post PDFs as web content, there are also reasons why it’s better to use PDF files on your website.
Posting PDFs on your webpage is an excellent way to provide long content to your readers. HTML formats are only great if your content is short and can be read in less than 10 minutes. If it’s very long, you should convert it into a PDF file so that users can download the file and read it offline whenever they like it.
It’s an excellent option to use PDF when the content is meant for printing. Best examples are books, manuals, guidelines, or similar publications posted online or can be viewed through an e-reader. Content in HTML format is not designed for printing, so it would be best to post a PDF file.
You can also post a PDF file if you want a particular content on your website to be secure. There are encryption and password protection tools that you can use on a PDF file for that purpose.
3#) Takeaway
Now you know the reasons why it’s better to post PDF files and how to optimize your PDFs when posting them on your website. If it’s your first time to deliver a PDF file on your website, you should make sure to read the guide above to avoid any problems.