2.6 Video & rich media (Lever 5)HighVerified
Video without transcript/captions
A video with no transcript or captions is opaque to crawlers and AI and inaccessible to many users. The transcript turns the video into indexable, quotable text.
What it is
Video content has no text equivalent.
Why it matters
Text in video is invisible to Google; transcripts expose it.
How to fix it
Provide transcripts/captions.
How to find it on your site
- Check videos for captions and an on-page transcript.
- Generate accurate captions and a full transcript.
- Publish the transcript as real text near the video.
- Keep captions in sync and correct.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
Transcripts make video content indexable and citable and serve accessibility. Their absence hides the content from search and AI.
Impact
Medium-high. Direct.
Evidence
Text in video is invisible; provide text equivalents. Google Search Central, SEO Guide for Web Developers; Google Search Central, Video SEO best practices
Sources