2.6 Video & rich media (Lever 5)HighInferred

Audio/podcast without transcript

Like video, audio is invisible to crawlers and AI without a transcript. Publishing the transcript turns each episode into indexable, searchable, quotable content.

What it is

Audio content has no text.

Why it matters

Audio is not text-extractable; invisible to grounding.

How to fix it

Publish transcripts.

How to find it on your site

  1. Check podcast or audio pages for a full transcript.
  2. Generate accurate transcripts for each episode.
  3. Publish them as real text on the episode page.
  4. Add episode structured data where relevant.

Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors

Transcripts make audio content discoverable and citable and aid accessibility. Without them the content is hidden from search.

Impact

Medium-high. Inferred.

Evidence

Provide text equivalents for audio. Google Search Central, SEO Guide for Web Developers