PDFs & documents on your site

When to use PDFs on your website, when not to, and how to make them accessible to screen reader users.

PDFs (Portable Document Format files) are common on business websites — price lists, brochures, terms and conditions, downloadable guides. They're easy to share. But they also have significant accessibility problems if not prepared correctly.

This guide explains when to use PDFs, when to avoid them, and how to make them accessible.

Quick summary

Use PDFs for documents people need to print or save (like formal quotes or contracts). For content people read on screen, a web page is almost always better. If you do use PDFs, make sure they have selectable text, document structure, titles, and alt text for any images.

When a PDF makes sense

PDFs are appropriate when:

The document needs to be printed (a physical form, a brochure)
It has a fixed, designed layout that must be preserved exactly (a formal proposal, a certificate)
It's a legal or compliance document people need to save
It's a resource people will refer back to offline (a guide or checklist)

When a web page is better

For most content that people read on screen, a web page is better than a PDF because:

Web pages are easier to read on phones
Web pages can be updated without re-uploading a file
Web pages usually work better with assistive technologies such as screen readers (though a web page still has to be built accessibly)
Web pages reflow to fit the visitor's screen and text size; a PDF is designed to keep the same page layout on every screen

If your "PDF" is really just a page of text, convert it to a web page.

Accessible PDFs: what to check

An inaccessible PDF usually looks fine visually but is missing what assistive technology needs. There are two common kinds:

A scanned PDF is just a picture of a document. Screen readers cannot read it at all.
An untagged PDF (for example, one made with the Print option, or exported without accessibility settings) has real text, but no structure. A screen reader may still read the words, but headings, alt text and other structure are lost.

An accessible PDF has:

Selectable, searchable text

You should be able to click and drag to highlight text. If you can't, the PDF is a scanned image of a document — it needs to be recreated properly, or at least run through text recognition (OCR) so it contains real text.

A document title

The PDF's properties should carry the document's name, not just the filename. In Adobe Acrobat Pro, open Document properties, type the name in the Title box under Description, then on the Initial View tab set Show to Document Title — so the viewer shows the real title rather than the filename.

Document structure (tags)

Headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables should be "tagged" — marked up so a screen reader can interpret them. Word and Google Docs can both export tagged PDFs, and the tags are only as good as the document behind them, so use proper heading styles. Not every tool does this well: design tools such as Illustrator and Canva export little or no tag structure.

Alt text on images

Images within the PDF need alt text, just as images on a web page do. See Alt text explained.

Reading order

The order elements appear to a screen reader must match the logical reading order. If you're using a design tool like InDesign to make PDFs, set the reading order yourself before you export: open Window → Articles, drag the items into the order you want, and choose "Use for Tagging Order in Tagged PDF" from that panel's menu.

Sufficient color contrast

Apply the same contrast rules to PDFs as to web pages. Under WCAG Level AA, normal text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background, and large text at least 3:1. See Color contrast & readability.

How to create an accessible PDF

The simplest approach:

Write your document in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Use the built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) rather than just making text bold or bigger manually.

Add alt text to any images in the document. In Word: right-click the image and select "View Alt Text," then type your description in the Alt Text pane. In Google Docs: select the image, open Image options, and choose Alt text.

Export as PDF. In Word for Windows: File → Save As (or Save a Copy), choose PDF, select More options → Options, and make sure "Document structure tags for accessibility" is ticked. In Word for Mac: choose PDF as the file format and select "Best for electronic distribution and accessibility." If you have Adobe Acrobat installed, its Acrobat tab in Word also works. In Google Docs: File → Download, then choose PDF. Never make the PDF with the Print option, because that strips out the structure.

Check the exported PDF. Open it, try selecting text. If you can select and copy text, the PDF contains real text. If you can't, something went wrong with the export. Selecting text doesn't prove the tags and reading order are right; to check those, use an accessibility checker such as the one in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Naming your PDF files

Use descriptive, readable filenames — not doc1.pdf or V2_FINAL_REVISED.pdf. A good filename: chykalophia-brand-guidelines-2025.pdf. This helps visitors understand what they're about to download, and gives the file a readable web address, which Google recommends (use hyphens between words).

Common questions

We have lots of old PDFs on our site. Do we need to fix them all?

Prioritize by importance. Documents that are actively used, required by law, or central to your service should be fixed first. Old archived documents that nobody accesses can wait. If a document is truly outdated, consider removing it rather than updating it.

Can I just link to Google Drive instead of a PDF?

Sometimes, if you link to a live document rather than a file. A Google Doc or a published Notion page opens in the browser and is easy to update. (A PDF stored in Google Drive is still a PDF, with the same problems.) These pages are only as accessible as you make them, so use proper headings and alt text there too. In Google Drive, open Share, and under "General access" choose "Anyone with the link" with the Viewer role if the content is public. A page on your own website is still the best home for important content.

Does a PDF need to meet WCAG 2.1 AA?

PDFs published on your website as part of a service or product are generally considered to fall under the same accessibility obligations as your website. This is particularly true if the PDF contains information that is only available in that PDF (not also on a web page). For example, the US Department of Justice's 2024 rule for state and local government websites names WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the standard and covers PDFs and other documents, with limited exceptions for some older files. Rules differ by country and by type of organization, so see ADA & WCAG compliance and check with a legal professional if you're unsure. This is general information, not legal advice.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.