PDF files are documents that have been exported from a word processing program like Microsoft Word. Other programs, such as presentation, spreadsheet, and image editing programs, can also be used to create PDFs. You need the Adobe Reader app to open and view them. They are popular as a document format that can be downloaded and viewed from websites and other online sources.
If you need to provide documents to visitors, customers, and clients, consider adding PDFs to your website. It’s an easy way to automate the distribution of documents, rather than dealing with requests individually by email.
There are lots of reasons to make PDFs available on your website. Consider whether any of these would be helpful to you and your business.
One important note: Embedded PDFs aren't indexable by search engines, so any text on PDFs won’t be found by search engines.
Freebie PDFs
Giveaway for signing up for a mailing list
How-to instruction sheets
Resource list of external organizations or products
Slideshow from presentation or event
PDFs about your services or products
Brochure
Product catalog
Event flyer
Frequently Asked Questions
Pre-appointment preparation checklist
Annual report
PDFs available to paid members
Course materials
Membership resources, such as eBooks or articles
PDFs to highlight your experience
Certificates and awards
Resume/CV/References
Writing samples
Case studies
PDFs to request information from customers
Legal document to be filled out offline (blank contracts, service agreement)
Pre-consultation form to be filled out offline
Questionnaire or survey to be filled out offline
PDF products for purchase
eBook produced as a PDF
How to create a PDF
A PDF can be exported as a document format from most office applications, such as word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, and image editing programs. Create the source document first in the office application. It’s a good idea to add branding information to the document, so your business name and copyright information are visible. Save the document with a name that identifies its content and your business.
After creating the source document, use the program’s option for creating a PDF. You’ll find some more information here.
How to add a PDF to your Squarespace site
Link to a PDF
In Squarespace, any place you can add a link, you can select a file link and upload that file (20 MB or smaller):
Text links
Buttons
Images
Images with a clickthrough link URL in a gallery
For more information about using links for PDFs, see this Squarespace help article, “Uploading and managing files.”
PDF as a product
PDFs for purchase are added to the website as you would add any digital products. They can be up to 300 MB and are added as digital products. For more information, see this Squarespace help article, “Digital products.”
Limiting access to PDFs
If you don’t want all visitors to find a PDF, you can hide the page that contains the link to the PDF. If you place links to PDFs on pages that aren’t available from your website navigation links, those pages are harder to find. For even more protection, your links to PDFs can be placed on members-only or password-protected pages.
PDFs are a useful addition to your Squarespace website if you want to provide information that isn’t for general use or is too lengthy to add to a website page. Visitors can also print the PDF documents for offline reading. You can always upload revised versions as the information changes so it stays up-to-date. Think of PDFs as an extension to the information that your website provides.
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As a Squarespace Circle Member, I bring lots of benefits to my clients’ projects through the supportive professional community I belong to. As my client, you also get direct benefits I pass on to you, like an extended 6-month trial period and 20% off your first annual purchase.
Being able to preview your website live without logging out of Squarespace is a convenience for testing and proofreading before you launch.
You can add a Social Sharing image to Squarespace to be shown as a link preview for your website when you share a URL on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The size of 1200x628 pixels works best for those platforms. You can also set custom images for specific website pages or blog posts to draw extra attention to them.
Squarespace lets you promote your blog post automatically on your connected social media accounts through the Share settings for the post.
Squarespace and Square are two different companies. They both support online stores, so it can be confusing when you are doing research about getting your business online. Squarespace is my favorite website builder, so this blog post will explain how it’s different from the company called Square.
Have you ever wished that you could take customers back to your website automatically after they make a payment through a PayPal button on your site? It turns out it’s not only possible, but it only takes a little extra planning and web design time.
