đ Modern PDF Accessibility with Edlio: Edlio Accessible Documents automatically converts every website PDF into an accessible HTML web page with screen-reader support, mobile responsiveness, in-document AI summaries, and translation. See our complete guide: Edlio Accessible Documents: Overview & Setup Guide.
â ď¸ Note on embedded PDFs: Accessible Documents automatically applies the accessible overlay to all PDFs on your site, but embedded PDFs directly on your pages remain inaccessible. Visitors can simply click the file name hyperlink to access the HTML overlay.
đ PDF Remediation coming soon: The current Edlio Accessibility Report and AI tools detect PDFs across your site, but do not remediate the original source PDF files yet. A dedicated PDF Remediation tool is coming soon! If you have early interest, contact Client Success ([email protected]) or join an Accessibility Study Hall (help.edlio.com/studyhall/).
Whenever possible, we recommend creating pages on your website for content. It's always better to create a new page for the PDF content rather than linking to a PDF. Edlio Pages have built-in code to make that content accessible.
Placing your content directly onto your webpage has multiple advantages:
it makes the text searchable so people can find your information easier
search engines can read the text, which helps with SEO
content can be translated
plus it's easier for you to update anytime, right in your Edlio CMS
However, if you do need to upload a PDF or have pre-existing PDFs on your website, follow these tips to make them accessible.
1. Structure your document
When creating the PDF in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, be sure to structure your document using the program's built-in styles for headings, lists, tables, etc. This helps people using screen readers navigate your content easily.
2. Use headings correctly
Organize your document using a clear heading structure. Use Heading 1 for the main title, Heading 2 for major sections, and Heading 3 for subsections. Never skip heading levels (for example, jumping from Heading 1 directly to Heading 3), and do not use bold text simply to make a heading look bigger without applying the heading style.
3. Format lists and tables properly
Always use bulleted or numbered list formatting instead of manually typing asterisks or numbers. When inserting tables, specify a clear header row so screen readers can interpret column and row relationships accurately.
4. Add alternative text to images
Every image, chart, or logo in your document must have descriptive alt text explaining what the image depicts. If an image is purely decorative, mark it as decorative in Word or Acrobat so screen readers can skip it.
5. Save as a tagged PDF
When exporting or saving your document as a PDF, ensure the "Document structure tags for accessibility" option is checked. Tags provide the foundational roadmap that screen readers rely on to read content in the correct order.
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