Link building with PDFs

[RBenedict]

I created a manual for a popular piece of equipment and placed it, as a PDF-file, on my website.

The PDF contains a clickable link to the root domain of my website. Other websites have downloaded the PDF and put it on their own website, hosting it themselves.

Since Google indexes PDFs, does the link in the PDF count as a regular 'link' from an external website, and does it have comparable value? Can't find any thoughts or studies about this anywhere.

[TimHolmes]

I think this has been covered a few times, infact also only a day or so ago.... I would suggest you read Egol's comment in the following Q&A.

Will a PDF pass page rank.

[GPainter]

Hi there,

Yes PDF do pass link juice, they are not the most optimum links however there is a nice pro's and cons on it over at search engine land

You can also find a fantastic guide to them over at lunametrics

Hope that helps & good luck.

*Phantom down voter?

[eugenecomputergeeks]

Why not convert the PDF to HTML yet still have a download PDF button for clients if desired?  Heck there are lots of free tools to do this, but check the code.  Or you could just use an ALT tag which aren't just for images but for objects.  Not sure if PDF's with ALT tag give much link juice, and if I HAD to keep it as a PDF, I'd convert it to a compressed JPG file and use an ALT tag so that Google knows what the object is and keyterms.