Making your PDFs work well with Google
Ok, I admit it. I’ve rewritten this article two or three different times over the past 5 years or so. For whatever reason, I find the issue of how PDFs work with search engines wherever I go. Many people who claim to know a lot about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tend to go a little slack in the jaw when it comes to SEO for PDF content. Oddly, there’s a dearth of information about search-engine optimization for PDF files, and certainly, Adobe offers precious little insight into the question.
I’d love to hear from people who have specific stories to tell about how Google isn’t indexing PDF files correctly - especially if you notice a difference between PDF Reference 1.5 and 1.6 PDFs. Please accompany your story with a link to the file in question. I am NOT promising a reply, but I am conducting a little research study on the issue, and you may be able to help me pin down the variables, and possibly, even update this article someday. Of course, by then, Google will (naturally) have tweaked their algorithms, but someone should be paying attention. Myself, I’d like to see Adobe actively monitoring this issue, perhaps even updating the Community as things change. That’s a nice idea. I sure hope it’s not just me and my spreadsheet.
