Does optimization of PDF files for search matter in 2017?

[Scratch_MM]

Does optimization of PDF files for search matter in 2017? If yes, what is the optimal way to do it? Is there a risk that it will compete for rankings with the parent page that is it's linked to?

[Moreleads]

Hi Scratch_MM,

Yes optimising for pdf´s still matters and follow some specific optimization rules, You can find a great post about this on SEJ https://www.searchenginejournal.com/pdf-seo-best-practices/59975/.

In relation to competing with the parent page, the pdf is just another page and as such eligble for ranking dependent on the content.  If the pdf contains the same content as the parent page than it would be better to use a canonical to the parent page.  Otherwise its will compete as much as normal pages would do, based on there content.

Hope this helps

[Roman-Delcarmen]

Google crawls billions of documents a day.
Documents can be for instance pages, images or PDF files.
Often people forget to optimize their PDF files.
That’s a missed opportunity as PDF files have the potential
to generate enormous amounts of traffic.

This articles will give you a better compresion

• PDF Conversions for SERP Rankings
• 10 Tips for Successful PDF SEO with Acrobat Files

PDF SEO in short

Just like your website’s pages, you can optimize PDF files
for search engine findability. Keep the following things in
mind when doing so:

• Choose a SEO friendly filename.
• Define a good title and description.
• Use headings and include relevant outgoing links.
• Make sure they don’t cause duplicate content issues.
• Don’t save PDF files as images.
• Optimize for mobile and file size.

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Cheers