When to convert or keep a PDF file in your uConnect platform

Overview

If you've ever looked at a list of PDFs on your uConnect platform and thought "I know I should do something about these, but I'm not sure what" — this guide is for you.

The good news: you don't have to convert everything. The goal isn't a PDF-free platform. It's a platform where your students can actually find, read, and use what you've published — and where uConnect's AI Search can surface your content in response to their questions.

This guide gives you a simple framework for deciding what to do with each PDF or external link on your platform: convert it to native content, wrap it with a native Resource page, or remove it entirely.

The Guiding Principle

Before getting into the framework, here's the single most useful question to ask about any PDF or linked file on your platform:

Why This Matters: Accessibility and AI Search

There are two important reasons to think carefully about how content lives on your platform: accessibility for your students, and discoverability through AI Search.

Accessibility

Most PDFs — even well-designed ones — create barriers for students who use assistive technology. Common issues include:

• Untagged PDFs that screen readers cannot interpret correctly
• Scanned PDFs that contain images of text, making them completely invisible to screen readers and search engines
• Large file sizes that slow page load, especially on mobile devices
• Fixed layouts that require zooming and horizontal scrolling on phones and tablets

Native uConnect pages built with the Block Editor are HTML-based, which is the most accessible and mobile-friendly content format available. Converting text-based PDFs to Block Editor pages is one of the highest-impact accessibility improvements you can make.

AI Search Discoverability

uConnect's AI Search allows students to ask natural-language questions and receive curated answers pulled directly from your platform's content. It indexes native uConnect content — Resource pages, Blog posts, People profiles, Events, and more.

Here's what that means for PDFs and external links:

The bottom line: if a student asks AI Search a question and the answer lives in a PDF, AI Search cannot find it. Converting that content to a native page — or building a wrapper page with descriptive text around a downloadable file — makes it visible and searchable.

The Three-Bucket Triage Framework

Every PDF, linked document, or external link on your platform falls into one of three buckets. Use this framework to sort your content:

Convert: When to rebuild content as a native page

If a student's goal is to read and understand the content — not download a file — it belongs as a native Block Editor page. These are your highest-priority conversions:

• Interview preparation guides
• Resume and cover letter tip sheets
• Career advice articles
• FAQs about your career center's services
• How-to guides (how to use Handshake, how to request a transcript, etc.)
• Resource lists and link roundups

Most text-based PDFs can be converted in 15–30 minutes using the copy → paste → clean up method. See our companion article, "How to build a native wrapper page for a PDF resource," for step-by-step instructions on the Block Editor conversion process.

Wrap: When to keep the file but add a native page

Some PDFs need to stay as files — because students download them to fill out, print, or use directly. In these cases, the right approach is to keep the PDF but build a native Resource page around it.

The native wrapper page provides the context, descriptive text, and searchability that the PDF file can't. The PDF attachment provides the formatted, downloadable file that students need.

Common wrap candidates:

• Resume and cover letter templates (formatting matters for this type of file)
• Official forms and applications (financial aid, internship applications, etc.)
• Printable worksheets and fillable documents
• Annual reports or outcome documents that need to stay in their original format

See the companion article "How to build a native wrapper page for a PDF resource" for a step-by-step guide to building an effective wrapper page.

Remove: When to clean house

Not every PDF or link needs to be converted or wrapped — some just need to go. Use this opportunity to clean up content that's no longer serving students:

• Broken or dead links (if students can't reach it, it's not a resource — it's a dead end)
• Old event PDFs for events that have passed
• Superseded versions of guides or documents that have been updated
• Duplicate content that's already covered elsewhere on your platform

Removing outdated content also improves your AI Search results — fewer irrelevant pages means more accurate answers for students.

Where to Start: Finding Your Quick Wins

If you're looking at a long list of PDFs and don't know where to begin, start here:

1. Identify the 3–5 resources students ask for most often
2. Ask your team: what do we send in response to the most common student emails or questions?
3. Check your platform analytics — which Resource pages are getting the most traffic?
4. Apply the guiding principle: does this content need to be read or downloaded?
5. Download a list of all your Resources and identify the PDFs if you want to just focus on those first! 
   1. Pro Tip: In the CSV export of your Resources, focus on the column called "Resource Type" and filter it by "Internal" resources; this will show you how many file-based Resources, likely PDFs, you have! 

Building a Habit Going Forward

The goal isn't a massive one-time conversion sprint — it's a habit that prevents the problem from growing. Consider adopting these as team standards:

• New resource rule: any new resource added to your platform gets a native page first. PDFs and external links are attachments, not destinations.
• Quarterly or semester-ly triage check: assign one team member to review any new PDFs or external links added in the past quarter and flag candidates for conversion.
• Include content format in your publishing workflow: when scheduling new content, note whether it needs to be converted from an existing file.