When you create a PDF catalog with dozens or hundreds of pages, helping your customers find what they need quickly is crucial. Simply listing products is not enough. MyBusinessCatalog solves this by automating the creation of a fully interactive Table of Contents (TOC), turning your static document into a professional, navigable publication.

The best part? This is all done automatically. You don't need to manually add bookmarks or create hyperlinks. The software calculates page numbers and generates all links for you. All you have to do is choose which type of TOC you want in your template settings.

The appearance of your Table of Contents is controlled by the settings in your chosen PDF catalog template

Option 1: The In-Page Table of Contents

This is the classic TOC that appears right after your title page, just like in a physical book. It provides an immediate overview of your catalog's structure. Our catalogue maker software gives you powerful options for this page:

  • Categories Only: Display a clean, high-level overview showing only your main product categories and the page number where each begins.
  • Full Product List: Transform your TOC into a powerful index or a "price list at the front." You can display every single product, complete with SKU, name, price, and the corresponding page number.

Every entry in this TOC, whether it's a category or a product, is a clickable hyperlink. A customer can instantly jump from the TOC on page 2 to a specific product description on page 87.

An example of an in-page Table of Contents within a generated PDF catalog, showing clickable links to product categories.
An in-page TOC provides a familiar, book-like navigation experience.

This is the "side panel" TOC that is built directly into the PDF file itself and is accessible through any standard PDF viewer (like Adobe Acrobat Reader, or even in web browsers). This provides a persistent navigation tool that is always visible, no matter what page the customer is on.

Just like the in-page version, you have full control over its detail level:

  • Condensed View: Show only the main categories for quick, high-level navigation.
  • Expanded View: Include every product as a nested bookmark under its category, allowing for incredibly granular navigation.

This feature makes your interactive PDF catalog feel less like a document and more like a user-friendly application.

The navigation pane (bookmarks) in a PDF viewer, showing a hierarchical and clickable Table of Contents.
The PDF navigation pane allows customers to find products without ever leaving their current page.

Bonus Tip: The "Always-Update" Link

How do you ensure your customers always have the latest version of your catalog? MyBusinessCatalog has a clever built-in feature for this. In your template's footer settings, you can include a special link back to the online source of the document.

For example, if you host your catalog at `https://example.com/catalogs/mycatalog.pdf`, you can embed this URL into the PDF itself. This adds a "Click here to download the latest version" link on every page, encouraging customers to stay up-to-date and driving traffic back to your website.

A footer in a PDF catalog showing a clickable link to download the latest version from the website.
Embed a permanent link back to your website, ensuring customers can always access the most current catalog.