To make your WordPress website more dynamic and engaging, you might consider linking to a PDF. This is a useful tool to share downloadable content with your audience. Whether you’re releasing an eBook, a report, a brochures, or any other document type, the process is straightforward.
Let’s dive into this beginner-friendly guide on how to link to a PDF in WordPress.
Step 1: Uploading the PDF to Your Media Library
Firstly, log in to the WordPress admin area. Navigate to the dashboard and locate the Media section on the left sidebar. Click Add New, which will take you to the upload screen.
Here, you may direct upload a file or drag and drop your target PDF from your local files. Upon successful completion, you’ll see a notification stating “Upload Complete”.
You can click on the uploaded PDF and copy its File URL from the Attachment Details right panel. This URL is what you’ll use to create the link to the PDF.
Step 2: Linking the PDF to a Word or Phrase
You can link the PDF file to a particular word or phrase in your post. This provides a seamless and neat way to present downloadable content to the readers.
Go to the Posts or Pages section where you want to add this link, and filter to your desired post or page. On the Edit Post or Edit Page screen, highlight the word or phrase you want to link your PDF to and choose the Insert Link option (it looks like a chain link).
In the field dialog that opens, paste the URL that you copied in the previous step and click on the blue Apply button. Update your post or page to save the changes. The highlighted text will now be a clickable link to your PDF.
Step 3: Adding a PDF Button
If you want to make the presence of the PDF more noticeable, you may opt to implement a PDF Button using plugins like WP Advanced PDF or PDF Embedder. These plugins allow you to add a button that, when clicked, automatically downloads or views the PDF.
After installing your desired plugin, follow the prompts to configure it appropriately. Once done, you can usually use a shortcode to insert the button into your posts or pages. This shortcode is generally available from the Settings page of the plugin.
Step 4: Linking to a PDF in Your Menu
You can also add a PDF file directly to your menu. Go to Appearance -> Menus, then select the menu you’d like to modify.
On the left, you’ll see the option to add items to the menu. If you don’t see an option for Custom Links, click on Screen Options at the top of the page and check Custom Links. Now, you should be able to take the PDF URL you copied earlier and paste it into the URL field under Add menu items. For the text shown in your menu, enter whatever you’d like for the Link Text.
Step 5: Password Protecting your PDF
If your PDFs have sensitive information, you might want to password protect them. PDF24 Tools is one online option that lets you add password protection to your existing PDFs. The WordPress plugin, WordPress PDF integrates directly with your WordPress instance for easier password protection.
That’s it! Now, you know how to link any PDF in WordPress. Try it out now and provide additional value to your readers in the form of eye-catching, downloadable content. You could even track the download rates to develop insightful analytics about your audience’s engagement levels. Happy linking!