{"id":85480,"date":"2023-01-12T11:42:47","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T17:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/?p=85480"},"modified":"2026-05-14T05:31:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:31:45","slug":"the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This is the second in an eight-part article series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>STEP 2: METADATA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">What is Metadata in a PDF File?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The term&nbsp;<strong>PDF metadata<\/strong>&nbsp;refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the components that make up metadata are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Title<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Author<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Subject<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keywords<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Document Language<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"303\" src=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-for-accessibility3x-8-1024x303.webp\" alt=\"A graphic listing the five items that comprise PDF metadata: Title, author, subject, keywords, and language\" class=\"wp-image-85482\" srcset=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-for-accessibility3x-8-1024x303.webp 1024w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-for-accessibility3x-8-300x89.webp 300w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-for-accessibility3x-8-768x227.webp 768w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-for-accessibility3x-8-1536x454.webp 1536w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-for-accessibility3x-8.webp 1593w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s break down each of these items, delineate them as needed and identify the accessibility concerns around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Access Metadata for Title, Author, Subject and Keywords by opening a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro and go to&nbsp;<strong>File<\/strong>&nbsp;&gt;&nbsp;<strong>Properties<\/strong>&nbsp;&gt;&nbsp;<strong>Description<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"588\" src=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-in-properties-2-1024x588.webp\" alt=\"A screen grab of the dialogue from Adobe Acrobat Pro, displaying the fields for PDF Metadata\" class=\"wp-image-85483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-in-properties-2-1024x588.webp 1024w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-in-properties-2-300x172.webp 300w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-in-properties-2-768x441.webp 768w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-in-properties-2-1536x882.webp 1536w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-in-properties-2-2048x1176.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">PDF Metadata: Title<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Title, which is not the same thing as the file name, should succinctly and accurately describe what the document is about. For accessibility, the title metadata is a requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we titled this article \u201cThe Migration Patterns of the Peregrine Falcon,\u201d and then started going on about metadata, that wouldn\u2019t be very helpful, would it? It\u2019s not nice to frustrate the people you serve. Always make sure the title correctly reflects the subject matter of the PDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accessibility requirements mandate that PDF Titles need to be displayed when the document is opened, as opposed to the File Name. Let\u2019s face it, some documents have very cryptic file names with dates, versions, editor\u2019s initials and all other kinds of things that aren\u2019t terribly informative to the end user. Descriptive PDF Titles solve this problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, if your organization needs to make your PDFs conform with the HHS standard (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services) there are other requirements regarding the Title, specifically the types of characters that are (or are not) allowed. For more details, check out the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/web\/section-508\/making-files-accessible\/pdf-required\/index.html#_pdf_properties\" title=\"Required Fixes for PDF Files | HHS.gov\">HHS standard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">PDF Metadata: Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Author metadata is all about who wrote the document. But, according to the HHS standards, the&nbsp;<em>author<\/em>&nbsp;should be the division, office, etc., where the document came from, but not a specific person\u2019s name. The other standards aren\u2019t this exacting regarding the document Author. In fact, while the HHS standard says that there&nbsp;<em>should<\/em>&nbsp;be an Author, the other standards don\u2019t require that the Author\u2019s information is included in the metadata. (This same rule applies for the Subject and Keywords which we\u2019ll discuss next.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">PDF Metadata: Subject<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While the Title says what the document is about, the Subject can be useful to provide more specific details. HHS doesn\u2019t put as many restrictions on the Subject as it does on the Title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro Tip:&nbsp;<\/strong>If you need to conform with the HHS standard, and you don\u2019t know what to use for the Subject, you&nbsp;<em>can<\/em>&nbsp;use the Title again in this field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">PDF Metadata: Keywords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Keywords play a crucial role in making the document easier to find when searching online. If you\u2019re not sure what to use for the keywords, perhaps consider things like important words from the Title, Subject and some of the headings in the document (at least the main chapter\/section headings).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Keywords for this article might be: PDF Metadata; Metadata and PDF Accessibility; CommonLook; Title; Author; Subject; PDF Keywords; Peregrine Falcon Migration (Ha! Just kidding.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong>&nbsp;When you\u2019re entering Keywords into the metadata, separate them with semicolons as opposed to commas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">PDF Metadata: Language<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Access Metadata for Language by opening a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro and go to&nbsp;<strong>File<\/strong>&nbsp;&gt;&nbsp;<strong>Properties<\/strong>&nbsp;&gt;&nbsp;<strong>Advanced<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"976\" src=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-language-settings-1024x976.png\" alt=\"A screen capture of the dialogue window showing how to access the Language of a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Stating the document\u2019s language is required by all accessibility standards.\" class=\"wp-image-85484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-language-settings-1024x976.png 1024w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-language-settings-300x286.png 300w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-language-settings-768x732.png 768w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/pdf-metadata-language-settings.png 1278w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, a critical section of the metadata is the document\u2019s Language. Stating the document\u2019s language is required by all accessibility standards and it needs to be set accurately so that when assistive technology is being used to read the PDF, it\u2019s using the language that the words are written in. Imagine how confusing it would be to read a document written in English, when the document\u2019s Language is set to German!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">Dealing with Metadata While Remediating PDFs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to addressing the metadata during PDF remediation, if you\u2019re using Adobe Acrobat, it will give you failures if you don\u2019t have a Title for your document, if the document is set to display the File Name, or if there isn\u2019t a Language assigned. If there is a Title that is set to be displayed and there\u2019s a language assigned, these things will automatically pass the Acrobat check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/accessible-meta-data-in-a-pdf-300x300-1.png\" alt=\"meta data graphic in a computer\" class=\"wp-image-86025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/accessible-meta-data-in-a-pdf-300x300-1.png 300w, https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/accessible-meta-data-in-a-pdf-300x300-1-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When using\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/pdf-accessibility-software-solutions\/commonlook-pdf\/\" title=\"PDF Accessibility Assessment &amp; Remediation Services\">CommonLook PDF<\/a>, you\u2019ll be prompted to address all metadata concerns. Like Acrobat, your document will receive a\u00a0<strong>Failure<\/strong>\u00a0grade if you neglect the add or display the Title or if the language is not set. Fortunately, the\u00a0<em>Fix\u00a0Wizard<\/em>\u00a0makes these things a breeze to correct!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though Acrobat will give you a&nbsp;<strong>Pass<\/strong>&nbsp;if the document has those settings correct, CommonLook will ask you to go one step further and verify their accuracy. If you notice a mistake, CommonLook makes it easy to add or edit all of the metadata, including the Subject, Author and Keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The HHS standard is one of the most rigorous ones when it comes to metadata. Fortunately, this standard is built-in to CommonLook PDF. If you need to conform to HHS, CommonLook PDF will prompt you to verify and correct any concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">How Assistive Technology Handles Metadata<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though the only real metadata requirements are concerned with a document\u2019s Title and Language, the PDF\/UA standard (ISO 14289-1) clearly states that assistive technology&nbsp;<strong>shall<\/strong>&nbsp;make available the metadata in the document, if it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-color has-text-color\">Post-Script:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In a PDF, the metadata includes additional information such as the software that was used to create or produce the PDF, when it was created, and, if applicable, when it was last edited. However, you really don\u2019t have any control over that, and it doesn\u2019t impact the accessibility of the PDF, which is why we didn\u2019t discuss it in this article. But to be \u201ctechnically\u201d accurate regarding metadata, we felt the need to at least mention it. If you\u2019re the type of person who stays to read the credits at the end of a movie, now you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read the Entire Series Here<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 1: <a href=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/pdf-tagging-and-reading-order\/\" title=\"\">Tags &amp; Reading Order<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 2: <a href=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/\" title=\"Role of Metadata in PDFs | PDF Accessibility and Compliance\">Metadata<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 3: <a href=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/color-and-contrast-for-accessibility\/\" title=\"Acessible Color &amp; Contrast | PDF Accessibility and Compliance\">Color &amp; Contrast<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term&nbsp;PDF metadata&nbsp;refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":85481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.8 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term PDF metadata refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Communications\"\/>\n\t<meta name=\"google-site-verification\" content=\"sz9aAxXztsJYdCXthODGNnUF_2aAZsZBWbnNQPko7v8\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 4.9.8\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Allyant - Simple. Seamless. Accessibility.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term PDF metadata refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:secure_url\" content=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-12T17:42:47+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T10:31:45+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term PDF metadata refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#blogposting\",\"name\":\"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant\",\"headline\":\"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/author\\\/communications\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1280},\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-12T11:42:47-06:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T05:31:45-05:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Blog\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/category\\\/blog\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Blog\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/category\\\/blog\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/category\\\/blog\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/category\\\/blog\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Blog\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Allyant\",\"description\":\"We make accessibility simple, seamless, and efficient for organizations\\u2014ensuring equitable access to digital, document, and printed information for people with disabilities.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/\",\"email\":\"info@allyant.com\",\"telephone\":\"+16132360866\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":0,\"maxValue\":200},\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/image.png\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":5672,\"height\":2900,\"caption\":\"Allyant logo. Simple, Seamless, Accessibility.\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#organizationLogo\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/author\\\/communications\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/author\\\/communications\\\/\",\"name\":\"Communications\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0f63af01ba9ed8418fb3841c0650c5dd9338bf4bace999d37d9063551728d9db?s=96&d=mm&r=g\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant\",\"description\":\"This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term PDF metadata refers to searchable fields within the document\\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/author\\\/communications\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/author\\\/communications\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1280},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/blog\\\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-12T11:42:47-06:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T05:31:45-05:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Allyant\",\"alternateName\":\"CommonLook\",\"description\":\"Simple. Seamless. Accessibility.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allyant.com\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro -->\r\n\t\t<title>The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant","description":"This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term PDF metadata refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.","canonical_url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/","robots":"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"google-site-verification":"sz9aAxXztsJYdCXthODGNnUF_2aAZsZBWbnNQPko7v8","miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#blogposting","name":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant","headline":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/author\/communications\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1280},"datePublished":"2023-01-12T11:42:47-06:00","dateModified":"2026-05-14T05:31:45-05:00","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Blog"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/allyant.com","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/category\/blog\/#listItem","name":"Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/category\/blog\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/category\/blog\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#listItem","name":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/category\/blog\/#listItem","name":"Blog"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/#organization","name":"Allyant","description":"We make accessibility simple, seamless, and efficient for organizations\u2014ensuring equitable access to digital, document, and printed information for people with disabilities.","url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/","email":"info@allyant.com","telephone":"+16132360866","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":0,"maxValue":200},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image.png","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#organizationLogo","width":5672,"height":2900,"caption":"Allyant logo. Simple, Seamless, Accessibility."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#organizationLogo"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/author\/communications\/#author","url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/author\/communications\/","name":"Communications","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f63af01ba9ed8418fb3841c0650c5dd9338bf4bace999d37d9063551728d9db?s=96&d=mm&r=g"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/","name":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant","description":"This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term PDF metadata refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/author\/communications\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/author\/communications\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#mainImage","width":2560,"height":1280},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2023-01-12T11:42:47-06:00","dateModified":"2026-05-14T05:31:45-05:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/","name":"Allyant","alternateName":"CommonLook","description":"Simple. Seamless. Accessibility.","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"Allyant - Simple. Seamless. Accessibility.","og:type":"article","og:title":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant","og:description":"This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term PDF metadata refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.","og:url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/","og:image":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg","og:image:width":2560,"og:image:height":1280,"article:published_time":"2023-01-12T17:42:47+00:00","article:modified_time":"2026-05-14T10:31:45+00:00","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:title":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs - Allyant","twitter:description":"This is the second in an eight-part article series. STEP 2: METADATA What is Metadata in a PDF File? The term PDF metadata refers to searchable fields within the document\u2019s properties that identify what the document is about. Ideally, PDF metadata should be as accurate and specific as possible to make it easier to find through search.","twitter:image":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Relevance-of-Metadata-in-Accessible-PDFs-scaled-1.jpeg"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"85480","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"reviewed_by":"0","open_ai":null,"created":"2022-12-05 04:12:46","updated":"2026-05-14 10:32:44","ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"schemas":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":[],"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"seo_analyzer_scan_date":"2026-05-14 10:32:44"},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/allyant.com\/category\/blog\/\" title=\"Blog\">Blog<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\tThe Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs\n<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/allyant.com"},{"label":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/category\/blog\/"},{"label":"The Relevance of Metadata in Accessible PDFs","link":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/blog\/the-relevance-of-metadata-in-accessible-pdfs\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allyant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}