Google Adds PDF Viewing Functionality To Search Results
Towards the end of September, Google unveiled the Google Docs Viewer, a program which allows bloggers and webmasters to quickly embed PDF files directly in web pages or blog posts. Google has taken this new PDF viewing functionality a step further by bringing it to search. (#1, #2, #3, #4)
As you may know, in the past, Google has been returning PDF files in search results for some time. On these instances when PDF files are returned in results, Google offered the “View as HTML” option, which proceeded to render a web page displaying a HTML version of the PDF file.
Example of a PDF File Embed using Google Docs Viewer
Here is 16 C.F.R. Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising below, which I will be covering in another article regarding how changes to FTC guidelines affect how bloggers and Internet Marketers publish content online.
This feature was helpful because it saved the end user a step from having to load a PDF viewer such as Adobe Reader. Sometimes the HTML pages would fail render correctly. Many times the formatting of rich text and proper alignment of images and graphics would be altered. Because of that, Google worked to include the same PDF functionality available in Google Docs Viewer and deliver it to search.
The result is called “Quick View.” With Google “Quick View” users are now able to view PDF files directly from the search results without losing any of the original formatting. More importantly, there is no longer a need for using programs such as Adobe Reader.
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:20 am
This is a nice feature, except it is caching files that have been removed from the site and otherwise from Google cache. This is rendering Google's remove-from-cache worthless for PDFs. They need to fix this
October 26th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Can you further explain?
October 26th, 2009 at 11:56 am
We have removed through Google's remove-from-cache feature some PDF content from Google — the main link no longer shows it (it's offline) and the “cache” link doesn't either — but there's a QuickView link that does still show the PDF.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Maybe just give it some time and the QuickView will no longer show the PDF. Have you created a post about it in the support forums?
October 28th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
What support forum?