PDF to Site Page Conversion Service

An Easier Way to Make PDFs Accessible

Summary

HTML pages are more accessible than PDFs. They are easier to edit, work on all devices, and support AI tools and language translation. NCDIT is working with Google and Gemini AI to provide a tool that turns PDFs into easy-to-read HTML pages.

The conversion service is free for Digital Commons websites. State agency websites not hosted on Digital Commons can use this solution to convert PDFs to HTML for a small fee per page.

 The service is expected to launch mid-March 2026.

Audience

Web Managers can use this service to convert PDFs to Site Pages.

Learn more about Platform User Roles and Permissions. 

Using the PDF to Site Page Conversion Service

  • 1

    How the Service Works

    • Convert PDF to HTML: Most PDFs can be turned into a one-column Digital Commons Site Page. You can edit these pages as you would any other Site Page.
    • Redirects: Links to old PDFs will automatically redirect visitors to the new Site Page created from the PDF content.
    • Replacement: The Site Page will replace the PDF, not appear alongside it.
    Accordion

    Exceptions

    Tab/Accordion Items

    We recommend replacing PDF forms with Webforms wherever possible. You must be a Web Manager with additional training to work with Webforms.

    If you keep a PDF form online, it must meet accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA). 

    Some documents, like legal files or highly formatted layouts, must stay in PDF format. These documents need accessibility remediation, either by your agency or through a vendor hired under a state contract.

    Password protected PDFs are not eligible for this conversion process. These documents need accessibility remediation, either by your agency or through a vendor hired under a state contract.

  • 2

    Open the PDF Accessibility Tool

    Navigate to Admin > Reports > PDF Accessibility

  • 3

    Understand the User Interface

    User Interface of the Digital Commons PDF to Site Page Conversion Service
    The user interface of the PDF Site Page Conversion Service. [Enlarge Image]
    Accordion
    Tab/Accordion Items

    When you open the tool, all PDFs from the Media Library are displayed in a table. 

    Search for a Document:

    • Enter a keyword from the document Title in the Search field (Example: GICC). 
    • Select the Filter button.

    Filter by Conversion Status:

    • Select an option from the Conversion Status drop-down menu: All, Converted or Not Converted. 
    • Select the Filter button.

    Progress

    A donut pie chart shows the percentage of PDFs that you have converted. It includes a color key denoting the total number PDFs converted versus the total number remaining. 

    The donut pie chart shows how many PDFs have been converted to HTML and how many remain.

    Basic information is provided for each document to help you determine your plan of action. You can sort each the information in each column (ascending or descending) by selecting the column heading. 

    • Title- The Title of the document which is used for the Site Page Title.
    • Converted- 
      • No- Default status for all PDF documents and those that have been reverted from a Site Page back to a PDF.
      • Yes- Status of a PDF that has been converted to a Site Page.
    • Source File- File name of the original PDF document.
    • View PDF-
      • Empty if the Conversion Status is "No."
      • View PDF button appears if the Conversion Status is "Yes."
    • Pages- Total number of pages that makeup the original PDF. 
    • Words- Total number of words within the original PDF.
    • Images- Total number of images within the original PDF.
    • Tables- Total number of tables within the original PDF. 
    • Confidence- The degree of certainty that the content of the PDF can be rendered accurately as an HTML Site Page. 
    • Converted HTML Preview - Select the View HTML button for a preview of how the PDF will appear after conversion. 

    About Confidence

    • Documents with a high percentage in the Confidence column convert more reliably from PDF to a Site Page. 
    • Complex documents (those with many pages, words, images, and/or tables) generally have a lower Confidence score. 
    • Simple documents (those with few pages, words, images, and/or tables) generally have a higher Confidence score. 
    • After a PDF is converted to a Site Page, you can edit it as you would edit any other Site Page. Pages with a lower percentage in the Confidence column may require more manual editing on your part.

    You may convert (or revert) documents individually or in bulk. Note that converting multiple documents or complex documents with many pages will take more time to process than a single document, or a simple document with few pages. 

    Convert

    • Select one or more documents to convert from PDF to Site Page.
    • Select Convert Selected PDFs. 

    Revert

    • Select one or more documents to revert from Site Page back to PDF.
    • Select Revert Selected PDFs.