Do your PDFs meet the same standards as your web pages?

I used to be a strong advocate for using PDFs. They are easy to create, view, and distribute—especially for those who deal with cross-platform and application compatibility issues. But what I didn’t foresee was how PDFs would be used to circumvent the web publishing process, compromising effective web writing, usability, accessibility, and search engine optimization (SEO). Now I lament a time when people relied on web publishers to develop and distribute their content effectively.

When PDFs are good

My problem is not with PDFs, but how they are used. They are great for electronic publishing. PDFs are also ideal for forms and other documents intended for printing, as well as large reference guides that benefit from being stored locally on your computer. It is a good portable and compatible file format and an excellent alternative to proprietary formats used by Microsoft, Adobe and others.

Advantages of using PDFs in electronic publishing:

Problems with using PDFs in web publishing

So, if PDFs are so great for electronic publishing, why do I dislike them for the web? Answer: they are too often used ineffectively. Because PDFs are easy to create and distribute, they are employed as a shortcut to publishing online—bypassing the publishing process —resulting in poorly developed web content.

It is common practice to use PDFs in place of web pages. Instead of having content written by web writers and designed by web designers people simply "Save As PDF" and then add a link on their website.

A PDF is not a substitute for a web page.

PDFs developed outside the web publishing process result in:

How to effectively create PDFs for the web

Maintain web accessibility. As Joe Clark writes in his well-reasoned article, Facts and Opinions About PDF Accessibility, "You should put the same care into marking up your PDFs that you put into marking up websites." PDFs can be just as accessible as HTML. In his article Clark suggests when PDFs should be used and explains how to make PDFs as accessible as web pages.

Maintain web usability. You need to choose PDF for an intended functional purpose, not as a substitute for a web page. Consider the need of you users. Duff Johnson offers useful guidelines for maximizing PDF usability.

Maintain focus on quality. PDFs should be held to the same standards as your web pages, including quality writing, design, and search engine optimization (SEO). If PDFs are used properly and included in your web publishing process and content strategy, then they can be implemented effectively.

Tips for publishing PDFs on the web:

How do you feel about PDFs on websites? Do you think your organization uses them effectively?