Inserting Hyperlinks into Secure PDFs: How-To

For the longest time, I thought I was securing my PDFs correctly. Only recently did I realize I was only HALF correct. When you save a PowerPoint or Keynote file as a PDF with a password so that others cannot copy and paste or drag your fonts and clipart off of the page,  the hyperlinks do not always stay. What happens? The PDF secures everything. Therefore, when PDFs are posted for buyers, they see tons of buttons, but no links.

Also, many clipart artists have written in their Terms of Use that a link to their store must be provided. How can you do this if your link isn't working in the secured file???

I had no idea. I searched for hours on the TeachersPayTeachers Seller Forum and finally discovered the answer. I have taken screen shots of each step, in the hopes of clarifying what I was completely confused about. 

***Before you begin, you will need Adobe Acrobat. The free Adobe Reader that is usually on computers is not the same. Adobe Acrobat is NOT free. It's about $20 a month or $120 for the year (educator discount). However, there is a free trial. I am using the free trial right now and plan to purchase for the full year when the trial is up. As far as I am aware, there is no other way to secure PDFs while still keeping hyperlinks active in the PDF.

The following steps start at your original PowerPoint or Keynote file. I used Keynote for these images, but PowerPoint will be essentially the same.

You have successfully secured your PDF. If you open this PDF you will not be able to drag your clipart or borders off of the screen.

Now on to the hyperlinks. But first, you must find the PDF you just secured. It usually has a little flipped back corner in the top right.

I want to add hyperlinks to my credits page, so I go to that page first. I will also add a "Provide Feedback" link that directs buyers straight to the product so that they can leave feedback and gain TpT credits (We all love us some TpT credits!!!). In the future, I will also be adding a "You May Like..." page where I list a few cover pages of other products that are similar. This page will have direct hyperlinks back to the products in my TpT store. 

Once you have clicked on "Add or Edit Link":

MAKE SURE YOU SAVE! :)

And that's it my friends. I hope this was helpful information for some of you. I know it was for me! When you are finished, your products will be hyperlinked and ready to sell! Adding hyperlinks in product listings on TpT is also a great way to promote similar products within your store. Hyperlinks have been shown to increase sales....so why wouldn't you spend the extra few minutes?!?!

If you have any quick questions or comments, please leave them below. If you have a more in depth question about this process or a question that relates directly to your product, please email me at creativitytothecore@gmail.com.

Happy Hyperlinking!