The Best SEO Tips to Make Your PDF Files Stand Out

When we asked a group of online users what their most preferred file format was, most people answered PDF. The interesting thing is, this love for PDF is not limited to just one city or country. People all around the world are regularly using PDF and that is exactly why the format is the most commonly used file format today.

In fact, PDF is so popular around the world that there are numerous file format converters popping up online helping users convert their files to PDF. And due to PDF’s ability to compress data without losing quality, the JPG to PDF converter online has been the most popular converter lately.

What makes PDF stand out?

When it comes to text file formats, there are hundreds of different options available. So, why is it that most people prefer to save their files in PDF? To answer the question, we will have to share some history with you.

PDF, invented by Adobe, was introduced as a solution to a big tech problem being faced by almost all businesses and organizations around the world. By early 90’s it had become possible to transfer files from one computer to another. But, almost all computers around the world were using word processors.

The problem with word processors was that they relied on the software, hardware and the operating system they were being used on. Meaning, if a word processor file was transferred from one computer to another, the file lost all its formatting and structure.

As PDF was built to work without relying on the operating system and the hardware, PDF files worked perfectly across all sorts of computers and operating systems. Naturally, almost all big businesses and organizations around the world leaped towards PDF as soon as it was released and they have been using it ever since.

As it happens so commonly in the tech world, PDF’s competitors soon caught up with it in terms of file transfer. The reason why PDF stayed ahead was that Adobe had envisioned great things for the format. PDF was meant to be much more than just a solution to the file transfer problem.

Adobe kept on improving and expanding its PDF editing software and that did not just enable Adobe to retain all PDF users, but it also helped them earn new ones. With PDF, Adobe has always played the long game and that why the format is still ahead of its competitors.

What’s SEO and why is it important?

SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization is a process through which content creators can tweak their website pages to appear as higher in search engine result pages as possible. This helps websites get more website traffic and through that, they can generate more business revenue.

Today, about 60% of all product searches start with the consumer visiting a search engine website. That means, if you are selling something online, or trying to generate traffic for your website or even, trying to maximize your website’s reach, it is imperative that you take advantage of SEO.

Online PDF files

One of the great things about PDF is that it compresses the data without losing any quality. This means PDF files can carry huge amounts of high quality data and still weigh a lot less than other file formats.

Needless to say, this is why most websites decide to upload files in PDF form whenever the need arises. There are many reasons why one would want to upload a PDF file to their website. Two of the most common reasons why websites have PDF files are because either the website is offering a process guide or, it is a form that needs to be downloaded and then filled.

With PDF files so commonly found on the internet, the PDF files on your website can easily get lost in this sea. But, thanks to SEO, now you can make your files much more prominent and attract more users towards them.

Using SEO for PDF files

There are quite a few SEO tips being used to help PDF files stand out but here are the 5 we found to be most effective;

  • First and foremost, your PDF files need to be named according to what kind of data they hold. Another effective tip is to think about what kind of search terms the user would use to find such a file and then use that search term as your file’s name.
  • Secondly, your PDF file’s title will also serve as its HTML title tag (the blue link in search engine result pages). The title should describe what the document is about and even better if you can add a search keyword in it.
  • Another important tip; search engines are much better at reading text than images. Meaning, the more text your PDF file has the better. The problem arises when the computer makes a PDF file out of a scanned document. Scanned documents are just a digital image of the text and so, search engines can’t read them effectively.


The solution to this problem is an OCR system. Almost all great PDF editing software has this feature. An OCR system can convert a scanned image into an editable Word file, which you can then convert back into a PDF and now, search engines will be able to read it.

  • Most files also contain text as well as visuals. As search engines aren’t very good at reading visuals, it is best to add a unique description for each visual and image you use. Also, this is a great opportunity to add in SEO keywords into your PDF datei bearbeiten.
  • Add related page links from your website to your PDF files and the link of your PDF files to related pages. This sends a message to search engines that the PDF file is an integral part of the website and that’ll help the file get a better search engine rank.

And that is how you can give your PDF files a much needed boost using SEO.

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