Convert PDF to HTML Online – Complete Guide

A nonprofit organization client I was working with struggled to get good mileage out of their yearly impact report. They put together a beautiful 24-page PDF with stats, stories, donor features, and program highlights. It was good content - the issue was discoverability. They couldn’t get people to read the report because the only way to access it was by downloading a file on their website - and the traffic to the file download was low and shallow. The people visiting their site were coming to the page with the PDF and leaving.

What they needed was the ability to have a scrollable, searchable, indexable, shareable version of their report - a version that wouldn’t require someone to download anything before they could read it. Converting the file from PDF to HTML got the report on a webpage, and the search traffic to that page climbed steadily over the following months. If you’ve struggled in the past to get the value from a PDF file that you know is out there, I hope you learn a thing or two from this post about why it’s always a good idea to move the content to a webpage.

Why PDF to HTML Conversion Matters More Than You Might Know

PDF stands for “Portable Document Format,” which means the files are best used for static documents that need to be downloaded, printed, or emailed as-is. PDFs are great for that specific use case, and they’re near impossible to beat when it comes to preserving the integrity of a document after it leaves a creator’s hands. But when it comes to content that needs to be discovered online, read on a phone without zooming, indexed by search engines, and shared easily as a link, HTML is the way to go.

Search engines can index PDF content, but it’s not as reliable or thorough as what you’ll get with HTML content. And the benefits of making content HTML-compatible extend beyond better SEO. HTML pages are easier to read than PDF documents, easier to navigate, faster to load, and more conducive to sharing individual sections of content (without having to send along an entire file).

Some common real-world applications for converting PDF to HTML involve turning downloadable documents into shareable blog posts, improving the SEO of a webpage that features a report, white paper, or guide, or making PDF content mobile-friendly for easier reading. Other reasons to consider this conversion include:

Publishing reports or annual summaries as webpages rather than downloadable files

Making product documentation available on a website rather than as a PDF

Giving search engines another chance to find older content

Creating knowledge base entries or internal documentation using HTML rather than PDF

Making mobile-friendly versions of PDF documents for easier reading

If the PDF content you’re working with requires changes before it can be posted on a webpage, you’ll want to use an Edit PDF tool to make any corrections before the conversion process.

How I Convert PDF to HTML for Web Pages

When I first encountered this project, I assumed the HTML version of the file would be somewhat unusable due to inconsistent formatting that would need to be cleaned up. While the formatting wasn’t great, the HTML page didn’t need extensive rewriting before it could be posted anywhere online. Here’s how I approached the conversion:

Open a browser-based PDF-to-HTML conversion tool

Uploaded the file to be converted

Let the tool process the file into HTML

Downloaded the converted HTML file from the tool

The ConvertersOnline PDF to HTML tool lets you convert your file without signing up for an account, and the HTML file it produces can be viewed in any browser or pulled into your CMS or website. Here’s what you can expect: an HTML version of the document you’re converting, with most of its content and structure intact. You’ll need to do some work on the appearance of the HTML file before publishing it, but the text and most structural elements should be there and ready to use. The exact extent of clean-up and rewriting will depend on the complexity of the original PDF file.

Setting Realistic Expectations for your PDF to HTML Conversion

Understanding what an HTML file can and can’t do is essential to avoiding disappointment with a converter tool, especially if you’re using a free PDF to HTML converter

The content structure will be present for all elements that have a defined structure in the original file - headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables will generally be intact but will need to be styled for your website or blog. The visual formatting won’t carry over, so you’ll need to make decisions about colors, fonts, spacing, and other stylistic elements. In general, think of the HTML file as containing only the content of the original PDF, without any visual style. You’ll need to apply your website’s style to it before publishing.

Complex layouts might become much simpler after conversion

Many PDFs use column text layout to make documents easier to read on paper or on screens with larger displays. When those PDFs are converted to HTML, that text can become wrapped to fill the smaller display space of a phone - effectively turning a column text layout into a single column of text. This is generally desirable in an HTML document, but it can cause some PDFs with particularly complex page designs to look substantially different after conversion.

Images included in the PDF file will generally appear in the HTML file either embedded directly in the code or linked to separately. It’s always a good idea to verify the images were converted and appear properly once the conversion process is complete.

Common Mistakes When Converting PDF to HTML

Here are a few things to watch out for that might trip you up when working with HTML files created from PDFs.

Publishing HTML content straight from a converter tool without reviewing it

You should always review HTML content in a browser before publishing it somewhere online. Make sure all of the text is visible, all of the links work properly, and the file appears as you want it to appear. While most converters do a decent job of preserving the content of a PDF document, formatting mistakes or errors in the conversion process can lead to text being misplaced or entirely missing from the HTML file.

Assuming the HTML file will look identical to the original PDF file

PDF and HTML are different file formats with different requirements and capabilities, and trying to make an HTML file that looks exactly like a PDF file is an exercise in frustration that will waste your time. The content of HTML documents should be simple, clean, and easy to read on any device, which means it will seldom look identical to its PDF counterpart. However, much of the structure and hierarchy of the original document should be apparent in the HTML version, allowing you to recreate the visual style of the original document if needed.

Compressing images before converting an image-heavy PDF to HTML

If you have an image-heavy PDF document that you’d like to publish as an HTML file, you should always make sure to optimize the images for the web before trying to convert the PDF. Large image files will make your HTML file significantly slower to load - in some cases, too slow for a visitor’s connection. If you’re using a compress PDF tool to reduce the file size of a PDF, you should always optimize images for the web before you upload them. If you plan to extract the images from your PDF document and publish them separately, you’ll want to optimize the web images as well.

Failing to see the opportunity to improve an HTML file’s SEO

As mentioned above, HTML files tend to be easy on the eyes but short on visual flair. Search engines favor clean, simple HTML files that aren’t wrapped in complicated design elements, so you should always make sure to use appropriate title tags, description tags, and heading tags when publishing HTML content online. Those tags will improve your HTML file’s SEO performance, letting it rank better in search results and appear in more queries.

Is It Safe to Convert Confidential PDF Documents to HTML Online?

This is a reasonable concern if you’re working with sensitive internal files. A good converter tool should allow you to convert a file without signing up for an account or let you delete the file after it’s been converted. You should always double-check the privacy policy of the converter tool you’re using, as many companies will use your file to help train the algorithm that powers their converter. You shouldn’t convert confidential information to HTML online if there’s a possibility the converted file could be used for anything other than its intended purpose. For public-facing reports, whitepapers, and similar documents, this shouldn’t be an issue, since those kinds of documents are typically intended to be seen by as many people as possible

A Few Things I’ve Learned When Publishing PDF Content as HTML

With that out of the way, here are some observations I’ve made while assisting clients with publishing their PDF content as HTML:

Always review the HTML code in a browser, preferably on multiple platforms, before publishing.

While most of the visual formatting will be lost in the conversion process from PDF to HTML, it’s always a good idea to make sure text elements like headings are rendered correctly in different browsers and on mobile devices. Some elements of an HTML file will render differently depending on what kind of device is being used to view them.

Create a canonical link to the PDF if you intend to keep both the HTML and PDF versions of a file available publicly online.

If you have both an HTML file and a PDF file pointing to the same content, always make sure to set up the HTML file as the canonical source. That way, search engines will recognize the HTML version as the primary source of information and avoid penalizing you for having duplicate content on your site.

Avoid creating enormous HTML files whenever possible

Long documents should always be broken up into individual pages rather than being put onto a single HTML page. Extremely long HTML documents are difficult for search engines to process and don’t provide a good browsing experience on mobile devices.

Make sure to use a Split PDF tool if you need to remove certain pages from a PDF document before publishing it as HTML

It should go without saying, but always make sure to remove any pages you don’t want published as HTML before attempting to convert a PDF to HTML. This is especially important if you plan to use a split PDF tool to break up a PDF document’s content before publishing it online.

One thing I’ve learned from working with clients is that I always create a simple content audit before converting a PDF to HTML and publishing it somewhere online. That way, I know which parts of the file are worth publishing as HTML and which parts are better left as downloadable PDFs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Google be able to find the content of my PDF file online after I convert it to HTML?

Yes - HTML files are far easier for search engines to find, read, and interpret than PDF files. Search traffic from Google and other search engines should increase for the content you convert after you publish it as HTML.

Do I need to know how to edit HTML code in order to use the HTML file generated by a PDF to HTML converter?

Not necessarily - the HTML code produced by a PDF to HTML converter can often be pasted directly into a content management system or website interface. If you plan to make significant alterations to the HTML file, you may need to know a little HTML and CSS in order to edit it, but most files only need minor tweaks before they can be published.

Will the images in my PDF file appear in my HTML file after I convert it?

Generally yes - the exact implementation will depend on the PDF to HTML converter you’re using, but most tools will either embed the image directly in the HTML file or save it somewhere online and update the file so it points to the new location. Always make sure to double-check that the image appears in your HTML file and looks good after the conversion process.

Can I convert a document that contains multiple pages to a single HTML file?

Yes - most PDF to HTML converters will produce a single HTML file from a multi-page PDF. Long documents should always be split up into individual pages before being published as HTML, however.

Does converting a PDF document to HTML preserve the original document’s formatting?

The structure of most HTML files produced from PDF documents will generally be preserved, but visual formatting should be considered stripped away and re-applied to match your website’s design. HTML is a document structure language, not a styling language, so any visual elements you want to appear in your converted HTML file will need to be added separately.

Will the HTML file I generate from my PDF file be mobile-friendly?

An HTML file generated from a PDF file will generally be readable on a mobile device, but you should always apply additional CSS styling to ensure it works well on smaller screens.

Can I convert a PDF file that’s password-protected to HTML?

PDF files that are password-protected need to have the password removed before they can be converted to HTML.

Final Thoughts

Converting a PDF to HTML is one of those tasks that pays dividends long after the initial conversion is complete. HTML files can be indexed by search engines, found by potential customers, published as individual web pages, and read without first having to download anything. That’s much more valuable from a marketing perspective than keeping your content locked inside a format that’s best used for printing.

Whether you want to publish a report, guide, whitepaper, or research document on a webpage, or you want to repurpose old PDF content for SEO reasons, HTML file conversion is always a good way to breathe new life into your content.

Has anyone had trouble getting their PDF content to be found online? What did you do to solve the issue?

Internal links:

Edit PDF tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/edit-pdf

PDF to HTML tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/pdf-to-html

Compress PDF tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/compress-pdf

Split PDF tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/split-pdf