PDF file has top Google search ranking—if replaced with another file with same name, are there any implications?

Question

I have a pdf file at

Website.com/file.pdf （which is a url with a top google search ranking for my keywords)

I added more content to the pdf since it’s outdated. Can I simply replace the file via FTP with the new one and keeping the name the same so that the same URL is maintained? Would this prevent search-ranking for website.com/pdf from being affected?

I can’t seem to find information on this, although I’d have thought it doesn’t affect search ranking as long as the url is kept the same. Is this the same as updating a website page?

Answer 1

As long as it is about adding (topical relevant) content, you will be fine (very, very low risk). Google loves updated content - as this shows that you care about your readers.

If it is about changing the content (and therefor maybe mix up the topic evaluation/weighting, which google does internally), chances are higher to get some shaking within your ranks.