Why most content is better as a web page

Web pages are the easiest and most accessible way to share information online. 

Why web pages can be more accessible

If you create or manage content for our websites, you must make sure it’s accessible. The easiest way to do this is by publishing it as a web page. 

Web pages can work better than other content formats, like PDFs, because they:

  • fit different screen sizes and devices more easily
  • work well with digital tools like screen readers
  • are easier for people to use and understand

This means people do not have to work as hard. It reduces their mental load and gives them a better user experience. 

Web pages are also easier to:

  • keep up to date and accurate compared to static documents
  • use on mobile devices - 67% of people in 2024 accessed our website on mobile devices
  • read because they can be more easily adjusted for things like colour, text size and line spacing
  • use with assistive technologies, like screen readers or with keyboard-only navigation
  • make accessible compared to PDFs
  • provide detailed analytics on about user behaviour

Consider PDFs or other content formats as alternatives or supplements to well-designed web page content.  

User experience experts Nielsen Norman Group explain why you should avoid PDFs for on-screen reading.

When to publish a PDF or other document file online

Only use a PDF or other document formats if you have a good reason. They are not designed to be flexible online formats and do not meet the same level of accessibility as well-designed web content.

PDFs are suitable for content that requires a fixed layout, needs to be preserved in its original format or is intended for offline use. 

The following are examples of content that may be published as a PDF or other document file:

  • Where the layout must stay fixed, like an official report or publication or an easy read document. 
  • Long documents that users may want to download and read offline, like a legal or policy document.
  • Structured data where tools like sorting and filters would help users understand it better, like spreadsheet files with lots of data. 
  • For content that is hard to publish as a web page, like for infographics, large tables, maps, floor plans or detailed technical documents that are unlikely to change.
  • Archived content like historical documents that need to be preserved in their original format. 
  • Forms for offline use.
  • Leaflets, booklets or posters user may want to print and share or display.
  • The document has a limited audience - only a small number benefit from the web page.

Most people who read and interact with PDFs or other document files will do so online, so they must be made accessible. 

Find out which documents need to be accessible.

If the document you are publishing on our website cannot be made accessible, you must:

  • also provide the content in a format that is accessible, like as web page content or an accessible Word document
  • provide the user with an easy way to contact you for a version that suits their specific access needs

Learn how to publish accessible content in different formats.