Search Engine Results And The Pdf User Trap
By Craig Geis, Sat Dec 10th

Many major search engines (Google, Fast, Inktomi, MSN) now havethe capability to index PDF files and return them in searchresults. If you are a Web site owner with PDF files on yoursite, this is good news. If you are an SEO, you also know thatthe new capability presents potential usability problems. Andwhat exactly is the big deal? Let's find out.

Searching for "blessing of a Christmas tree" on Google returns alink to a PDF file as the first result:http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=BLESSING+OF+A+CHRISTMAS+TREE

If searchers click on it, the link automatically opens a PDFfile with no navigation back to the main site. Users aretrapped! So, what's going on and, more importantly, how to do wefix it? Essentially, the PDF format is not the culprit; the realproblem is the author's failure to create the files with Webusers in mind.

PDF authoring software, such as Adobe Acrobat 5.0, offers theability

to include both a navigational structure and hyperlinkson a PDF page. Ideally, the best solution is to create yourpages in HTML, rather than PDF format. Depending on the purpose,however, a PDF format can be preferable. For example, PDF filesoffer better functionality for pages that are commonly printed,such as order forms and price lists. To avoid the PDF USER TRAP,you will have to republish your files, adding some type ofnavigation structure and/or link back your main Web site. Thisis the best option for SEO's, because it allows the pages tostill be indexed. If this is not an option, the next bestsolution is to place all of your PDF files in a single folderand do a robots exclusion.

About the author:Craig Geis, SEOTechnical Specialist, The Karcher Group. For moreinformation on this topic, contact him at Craig@thekarchergroup.comor www.thekarchergroup.com.