Ensuring video and audio accessibility is essential to make your content inclusive for all users. Let’s go over best practices for each.
Video Captions
Video captions are crucial for individuals with hearing impairments. They also benefit people in noisy environments or those who prefer muted playback.
Review Automated Captions
- YouTube, our recommended host, provides auto-captions within 24 hours.
- It’s important to review and correct auto-generated captions for grammar and accuracy.
- Errors in auto-captions ARE NOT considered accessible captions.
- Make sure the captions are corrected before you share or embed the video on your website!
How To Edit YouTube’s Captions
YouTube lets you edit the automated video captions after they have been generated. Since their website changes often, be sure to check their up-to-date instructions on how to make changes:
How To Add Closed Captions in WeVideo
An alternative to YouTube captions is using WeVideo to add closed captions to your video. Check out the guide here:
Audio Transcripts
Transcripts are a text version of the speech and non-speech audio information needed to understand the content. They are essential for individuals with hearing impairments. They can also enhance comprehension for all users.
Provide Transcripts
- Include a text transcript with podcast episodes or any audio-based content.
- Place transcripts directly under the audio player on your website or within an expandable accordion.
- If your podcast is available on external platforms, ensure a link to the transcript is available in the show notes.
Services for Creating Transcripts
- There are several pay-for transcription services, such as Otter.ai. These services provide a generated transcript for your audio that you can then review and edit for accuracy.
- You can also generate transcripts with Microsoft Word. To learn more, read our article: