by ac4designs | Jan 8, 2022 | Artwork production, Digital content
PDF files correctly prepared for the web will effectively support your business.
Using PDF files on your website can be an excellent way of promoting your business. Ensure you are making the best use of the tool. Stop being lazy and dumping your print formatted or poorly considered PDF content onto your website. Take a moment to experience what someone finding your PDF content will see by looking at it yourself. Is it helpful, easy to use, and impactful? If not, why not? Ensure that you can effectively prepare PDF files for the web by understanding the following factors.
- Design
- Size
- Security
- Colour
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Understand the PDF file format.
Portable Document Format (PDF) is an open standard for document exchange. Created by Adobe Systems in 1993, it has become a popular format for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems.
PDF files serve many purposes including, delivering high-quality files for commercial print. PDF files are also a method of attaching content to web pages. This often happens when documents designed for print also need transferring to the web. The PDF file format has developed in recent times to include multimedia, video, sound and 3D, in addition to text, full-colour graphics and photos. Modern PDF files are much more than a simple artificial photocopier for attaching existing content to your website. However, it is vital to prepare PDF files for the web.
For most business users the PDF format is simply an output action, that delivers the final document via a print dialogue or a drop-down menu. Most do not realise that not all PDF files are equal. High-quality print PDF files differ in structure and capacity from optimised PDF files for delivery via the web. Loading poor quality PDF files to your website will act like a lead weight to your site. Affecting, Search Engine Optimisation and user experience. Follow this simple 5-point plan to ensure your PDF files are effective in the online environment.
Design for PDF files
Simply transferring a print-based design to the web will leave your user frustrated. Even if you have addressed technical issues, leaving a viewer to consume content designed for delivery as a printed item on-screen can be ineffective. Design and communication messages that work in the original, can fall flat online and act as a barrier to proper engagement.
So can documents created for print also be effective online? Solutions are possible even if your capacity and or budget to improve your PDF files is limited. Use some simple features such as bookmarks, hyperlinks and cross-references to assist the delivery of content in an online PDF. Consider good design practice for on-screen content delivery. An appropriate layout, use of high contrast colours for text, minimum text sizes and a logical on-screen read order are all important.
If you have a brochure type design, ensure that the PDF presents the pages appropriately. For example, pages might show as spreads instead of single pages to help the presentation of information. Also, ensure that the document is easy to print out. The print options in Adobe Acrobat Reader are simple to use, but why not help your user by providing instructions. Ensuring it is output as you would prefer. If you want to prepare PDF files for the web to the highest standard, explore tagging and structuring the content. I would recommend you seek professional assistance to understand the requirements and benefits. Tagged and structured PDF files provide the most flexible and accessible content delivery.
Size PDF files
Optimising your PDF files for online delivery is a simple and effective way to ensure that they do not weigh down your website with bloated files. It will also ensure that the experience of those who download them is not one of frustration. But we have high-speed broadband, you cry! True, improved broadband does mean that downloading file sizes is not such an issue as in the past, except for two things:
- not everyone gets superfast bandwidth, and
- mobile viewing is increasingly becoming the preferred method of viewing content.
The objective of your message is to reach as many people as possible and ensure they can effectively access the information. PDF files can be size-optimised with no visible loss of quality. Achieving this need not be a big task. Indeed, getting a professional to consider this and creating an authoring file with this in mind will deliver the best results. However, the editing version of Adobe Acrobat (latest edition Acrobat DC) provides many simple scripts for tackling this process automatically. Take a small amount of time to review the software you use to create your PDF files. You will find that these provide output settings specific to the different types of files you may wish to generate. Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign offer many options for outputting PDF files within the print dialogue.
If you already have a PDF, it is possible to optimise this using Acrobat Pro to improve the document. Search engines such as Google are increasingly reviewing all aspects of your website content. Bloated file sizes show lazy file creation, and the logical progression of thought is that this will apply to the content. It is easily avoided, showing you take your web content seriously.
Security for PDF files
I am continually amazed at the lack of understanding shown by many businesses regarding the security of their intellectual property. Now let’s be clear, if you are creating content to share but are not concerned with what someone might do with that information, this section won’t be of interest. Equally, if you post content to your website and blog, it is important to explain that you will still have some copyright protection (as long as it is your content). However, let’s be realistic the web is essentially a free source of information and content. If the content is on a web page, it can be copied.
This probably seems obvious, what many do not realise, is that the same is true of an unsecured PDF file. PDF files are by default open. The content from an unsecured PDF is easily copied and pasted into a word processing application and reused for any purpose. Secure PDF files by applying a password or using a certificate, depending on how advanced you want to be. Use the full editing version of Acrobat to achieve both, with third party options also available.
If you create PDF files, you should consider how valuable the content is and whether restricting the ability of others to copy it is worthwhile. Often the content posted in a PDF is of high value to a business, so protecting it makes sense. None of this alters your rights as the author of the content. But would you leave your bike unlocked outside the newsagents while you pop in to pick up the paper?
Colour PDF files
The issue of colour is two-fold. Make sure that your PDF is impactful and easy to read. The design and layout are vital elements, and colour plays an important role. Use high contrast colours and consider colour blindness and visual impairment. The RNIB estimates forms of visual impairment affect as many as 2% of the population, increasing as people age. Consider your potential markets and ask yourself whether potentially excluding people is a sensible approach. With planning, your PDF can be accessible to all.
My second point is about colour reproduction and consistent brand delivery. When viewed on-screen, colours are displayed using the RGB colour space, differing significantly from the printed representation of a colour. Printed colour uses CMYK or Pantone systems. If you have invested time and money in your brand and understood the importance of consistent and professional presentation. You will be disappointed to see your online brochure, looking different on-screen compared to your desk. You will be horrified to learn that printed out the print looks different again. And not in a good way!
There is no simple solution to these issues. Colour is challenging to manage. You will need to seek expert help, accepting that there may be a level of compromise required. Selecting brand colours carefully, adjusting colours for online delivery and ensuring that PDF files are in the correct colour space will help achieve effective outcomes. If you continue to use your print formatted PDF files on your website, you can’t complain about how they look.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
The first requirement of any PDF that wants to be noticed by Search Engines is to ensure that it is text-based. Achieve this by using a text editing software application such as Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign. Rather than from an image-based program such as Adobe Photoshop.
Next, consider the keywording of the document just like a regular web page. Be careful about heavy-handed adjustments to the copy solely with this in mind. Ensure the document content is valid and informative rather than just stuffing it full of keywords. But a little tweaking might be worthwhile. Follow the basic rules. Try and include keywords in the page title, headings and at least a couple of times in the first paragraph. Including it throughout the content is also a good idea. Make sure you also name the file using the primary keywords if possible. This ensures it shows up in the URL just like a normal web page and acts as a relevance flag to search engine spiders.
Finally, if you are able, use image captions within the PDF file to describe image content. The odd keyword here wouldn’t go amiss either. Complete the document properties. Include the title, author, subject, and keywords. This can be completed in either the text editing application or the final PDF. The title is the most important, as it will supply the page title in search engine results. If you don’t create a title, the search engines will use a line from the page, which may not make sense to potential visitors. The other sections have less impact, but it is good practice to add information where possible.
Tag your file
To have the most impact on your PDF files SEO you need to use Tags. Using a full editing version of Adobe Acrobat allows tagging content that behaves similarly to HTML tags in web pages. Defined content as headlines, captions, body text and images. Apply alternative text descriptions to images, to clearly define what is displayed. This ensures that Search Engines can quickly scan your PDF and understand the content. It will also make sure your content is more accessible, ensuring assistive technology such as screen readers can use the content.
Finally, make sure your PDF is easy to see. Linking to a PDF from your home page or top navigation (main pages) will position it close to your root directory. Helping search engines find it easily. Another tip is to link from the PDF back to pages on the web. Ensuring that search engines notice your content when scanning the web.
by ac4designs | Jan 6, 2022 | Artwork production, Digital content
Can PDF files provide accessible content to people with visual impairment or who need assistive technology to use the internet?
A college of mine recently asked if making PDF files deliver accessible content is possible, and I thought I would post my thoughts.
Defining accessibility
Accessibility in the sense considered here refers to the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments that are usable by people with disabilities. Accessible design and practice of accessible development ensure both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers).
Accessibility is not to be confused with usability. Usability is the extent to which a product (such as a device, service, or environment) can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals. Accessibility is strongly related to universal design. This is the process of creating products that are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities. Operating within the widest possible range of situations. This is about making things accessible to all people (whether they have a disability or not).
Structure your documents
To use PDF or Microsoft Word files with assistive technology, content creators must create files that have accessibility in mind. Essentially this means that the design needs to consider the user. The document should contain good structure and tagging. To do this the elements that make up a document need a definition. So, define the text, as a top-level heading (the title of a book) separately from a subheading and body text using styles. Tag images to give an alternative text description that indicates an image in a non-visual environment. Finally, ensure the document is output to the correct settings.
Design and publishing tools, such as Adobe InDesign and Microsoft Word, can help to create well-structured documents. Using style sheets and tagging tools, some of which is automatic, means this is not hard to achieve. To achieve a high-quality outcome the task needs to be properly considered as part of creating the document file.
For help understanding how to integrate accessibility into your communications please get in touch.
