A new solution to your PDF problem: FileToWeb
Leave the file behind and publish something better.
Every PDF is a barrier for someone using a screen reader, a phone, or a translation tool. They are also a new liability under the ADA Title II web accessibility rule.
Traditional PDF remediation repairs the files. It’s expensive and time consuming.
Over the past year, new solutions have emerged to automate this work at scale, from overlays to basic batch remediation. But making thousands of PDFs technically accessible is not the same as giving people a good digital experience.
A remediated PDF is still a PDF.
FileToWeb is a new tool that converts PDFs into responsive HTML webpages.
What FileToWeb does
FileToWeb converts a PDF into structured HTML that works across desktops, tablets and phones.
You can refine the content or publish as-is. If you choose to edit, you don’t need to know HTML. Just describe the change you want in its AI editor and it will update, such as:
Rewrite this in plain language.
Turn this section into steps.
Add headings.
Convert all caps to sentence case.
Explain this technical term.
The output is an HTML webpage.
An overlay does not fix the content
Accessibility overlays usually add a widget or layer of automated code to an existing website or document. It sits on top of your content and tries to patch problems in the browser. Since you don’t own overlay content, as soon as you stop your subscription, you lose access to it.
Some create a clunky user experience, navigating away from the regular website into an external dead end. They may also interfere with the assistive technology and browser settings people already use.
FileToWeb takes the opposite approach. It does not place an interface on top of the problem. It creates new, structured HTML content that you own and staff can review, improve and publish.
Batch remediation solves the wrong problem
Batch PDF remediation sounds appealing because it promises to process a large document backlog quickly.
Remediation vendors will tag your PDFs so they pass a basic accessibility checker. Here are some problems with that:
A remediated PDF is still a PDF. It still traps people in a fixed layout designed for paper. It’s still hard to read on a phone and clunky.
It preserves content you should be questioning. Batch remediation treats every document as worth keeping as-is. Many PDFs are outdated or poorly structured.
Converting forces better questions:
Does this need to exist?
Can it be improved?
Should it be a web page instead?
HTML is accessible by design when structured correctly. It responds to screen size, works with assistive technology, supports translation, and shows up in search. That is the standard people expect, and it’s the direction the new accessibility rule points: prioritize HTML whenever possible.
FileToWeb offers the HTML path: convert the document into content that can be read, searched, linked to, and improved as a webpage.
Better for accessibility, better for everyone
A well-structured webpage is almost always better than a PDF.
Webpages:
Adapt to different screen sizes
Reflow when someone enlarges the text
Work with browser and assistive technology settings
Use real headings, lists, links and tables
Let people link directly to relevant information
Appear more prominently in website search results
Be updated without recreating and replacing a file
Give AI systems structured content they can interpret and reuse
Most importantly, people can simply open the page and read it. They do not have to download a file, open another application, pinch and zoom, or navigate a document designed around the dimensions of a sheet of paper.
Built into ProudCity
For ProudCity customers, this gets even easier. They are piloting FileToWeb directly within ProudCity. The converted HTML content comes back as an editable ProudCity Document, Meeting, or Page, ready to review and publish.
ProudCity already makes it easy to manage your website content. The FileToWeb integration adds a practical bridge between your documents and a more accessible, web-first approach.
A better document strategy
A document strategy helps you decide what to do with thousands of PDFs. Many can be removed or archived. And many of them will work better as HTML.
FileToWeb makes the best option dramatically more achievable. And in a format that you own. And you can control costs while improving the user experience.
The goal is information people can find, understand, and use. Help people get what they need, so they can get something done.
FileToWeb gives you a great option: leave the file behind and publish something better.
Disclosure: I provide product advice to both FileToWeb and ProudCity. I do not receive commissions, referral fees, or any other payment based on sales.
Thank you, Rebecca, for explaining the problem and the opportunity so clearly. Your work helped shape my understanding that accessibility is not just about remediating documents but more importantly it is about creating a better experience for everyone trying to access public information. I’m grateful for your guidance and for Kevin and the ProudCity team’s thoughtful collaboration. If any organization is struggling with inaccessible PDFs or in general how AI can help with making your files more accessible, please don't hesitate to reach out. I’d be glad to learn more about the challenges and explore whether FileToWeb can help.