PDFs are not web content, and they don’t allow for version control and collaboration. As a result, sending PDFs over email is inconvenient from the start. Instead, it is much more efficient to store and link data to web pages as dynamic PDFs. This way, visitors will be satisfied with your site and stay for longer.
Another reason PDFs are inconvenient is that they aren’t as responsive as web pages. They require a separate program and a bulky add-on on your browser, and they take longer to load than web pages with optimized design. They are also less searchable, meaning less engagement and frustration.
PDFs aren’t accessible to the visually impaired. Many of them don’t display well on mobile devices. In addition, screen readers cannot read the text easily. Even if a screen reader can read the content, PDFs don’t flow well on these devices. Moreover, users need to spend a long time scanning the table of contents to find keywords and navigate the document.
Despite the fact that PDFs aren’t perfect, they are still more accessible than HTML. Some of the most popular assistive technologies like screen readers and keyboards have trouble reading PDFs. This is especially problematic with older versions of PDFs. This means that assistive technology users can’t use them effectively. Older versions of PDFs are incompatible with screen readers and won’t display content. Besides this, older PDFs make it difficult to search and translate content.