How to create a digital catalog for your website
Turn a PDF or your store's products into a catalog customers can browse and buy from on your own site. What makes a digital catalog work, two ways to build one, and where to put it.
A printed brochure can only point somewhere. A flipbook can take the reader there: open the product page, play the interview, show the map. Some of that comes with the PDF for free, and the rest you place on the page yourself. Here is what is possible and where each piece is worth using.
What the PDF brings with it
Before adding anything, check what the PDF already does. The viewer keeps:
- Links. Web links in the PDF stay clickable, and links to other pages of the document jump to that page.
- Text. The text layer stays selectable, so readers can copy a product code or a phone number, and search finds words on every page.
- Bookmarks. PDF bookmarks become the flipbook’s table of contents.
So if your layout app can add links and bookmarks, add them before exporting. They cost nothing and work in every view mode. If you are starting from scratch, see how to turn a PDF into a flipbook on WordPress.
What you can add on top
The Page Editor addon adds a visual editor to the flipbook screen. You open a page, pick an element, drag it into place and resize it. Elements sit on top of the page and turn with it.
| Element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Link | Opens a web address, or jumps to another page of the same flipbook |
| Video | Plays a self-hosted video or a YouTube video on the page |
| Audio | Plays narration, music or a sound clip from a spot on the page |
| Image | Adds a photo, badge or product shot over the printed page |
| Iframe | Embeds a map, a form, a booking widget or anything else that has an embed code |
| Spotlight | Highlights an area of the page to draw the eye to it |
Elements are saved with the flipbook, so they also appear wherever the same flipbook is embedded.
The catalog below has links on its contents page that jump to each section, and a video and a YouTube clip placed on page 2:
Ideas by document type
Catalogs. Put a link over every product photo that opens its product page. Readers browse the way they would on paper and buy the way they would online. On Shopify, the app goes further, with add-to-cart hotspots and live prices; see shoppable catalogs on Shopify.
Magazines. Turn a still photo into the video it came from: the interview, the making-of, the recipe being cooked. A small play badge on the photo tells readers there is more.
Brochures. Add an iframe with a booking or contact form on the last page, so the reader who is convinced can act without leaving the brochure. A map on the “how to find us” page beats a printed address.
Manuals and guides. A short video next to the step it explains saves a paragraph of instructions. Links to spare parts or support articles keep readers from searching.
Children’s books and language material. Audio on each page for narration or pronunciation, placed next to the line it reads.
Keep it readable
- Don’t cover the text. Place elements over pictures and margins, not over copy people need to read.
- Make targets big enough for a finger. On a phone the page is small; a link the size of a word is hard to hit. Covering the whole product photo works better than covering its price.
- Use spotlights sparingly. One per spread draws the eye; five on a spread compete with each other.
- Show that something is clickable. A small icon or a “watch” label in the design itself helps readers who don’t hover with a mouse.
Measure what gets used
With Google Analytics connected, the flipbook reports opens, page views, link clicks, video plays, downloads and shares. After a month you know which pages people stop on and which links they follow, and the next issue can put its best material there.
Questions about interactive flipbooks
Do the links in my PDF still work in the flipbook?
Yes. Web links stay clickable, and links to other pages of the document jump to that page. Nothing has to be added for them.
Can I put a YouTube video on a flipbook page?
Yes. With the Page Editor addon you place a YouTube or self-hosted video on the page, and it plays there instead of sending readers to another site.
Do interactive elements work on phones?
Yes. Elements are saved with the flipbook and work in every view mode, including swipe on phones. Make them large enough to tap with a finger.
Can I see which links readers click?
With Google Analytics connected, the flipbook reports link clicks and video plays along with page views, so you can see which pages and links get used.
Comparing plugins? Our guide to the best flipbook plugins for WordPress puts prices and features side by side.
