Google's "Quick View" PDF Also Does OCR Conversion For Many Languages

Oct 9, 2009 - 8:22 am 5 by
Filed Under Google

Google recently announced a feature that they have implemented just a couple weeks ago in the search results named "Quick View." Quick View basically shows you a PDF in a web based PDF viewer on Google. It takes the PDF from the host, typically the owner of the PDF, and does all the conversion on the Google's server.

The neat part is that this feature gives you OCR for virtually all of the languages Google has translation for. I'll get to that in a bit, first let me show you a basic example of how Quick View works and then I'll show you the translation OCR.

A search for [w4] returns the IRS's web site with the PDF of a W-4 form.

Google PDF Quick View & OCR

When you click on the Quick View link in the search results, you get this page:

Google PDF Quick View & OCR

Yes, a neat view of the PDF, the ability to download the file, print it or convert it to plain html. A WebmasterWorld thread has webmasters who are not happy about this because this bypasses your site and you get no traffic benefit from this. Tedster explains:

So it looks like one more way that Google Search can distribute a site's content without requiring a direct visit to the site itself - and in this case, it's an entire document, not just a snippet. And the intention is to roll this out for other file format types, too.

To make things even worse, from a copyright standpoint is the OCR technology. I can upload a book, in almost any language, let Google index it as a PDF and then convert it to plain HTML and copy and paste from there.

For example, this hebrew book in Quick View looks like this:

Google PDF Quick View & OCR

If you click the "Plain HTML" link you are taken here where Google has OCRed the text into copy and paste friendly Hebrew. Pretty neat! Well, to some, not to those that might own the copyright on this text.

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Follow

Search Video Recaps

 
Google Core Update Rumbling, Manual Actions FAQs, Core Web Vitals Updates, AI, Bing, Ads & More - YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: March 18, 2024

Mar 18, 2024 - 4:00 pm
Google Updates

Google Urges Patience As The March 2024 Core Update Continues To Rollout

Mar 18, 2024 - 7:51 am
Google

Official: Google Replaces Perspective Filter With Forums Filter

Mar 18, 2024 - 7:41 am
Google Maps

Google Business Profiles Now Offers Additional Review After Appeal Is Denied

Mar 18, 2024 - 7:31 am
Google Maps

EU Searchers Complaining About Google Maps Features Changes Related To DMA

Mar 18, 2024 - 7:21 am
Google

Google Showing Fewer Sitelinks Within Search

Mar 18, 2024 - 7:11 am
Previous Story: Daily Search Forum Recap: October 8, 2009