The power of video as a means of communication is undeniable in our digital age, with platforms like YouTube leading the charge. However, to maximize the reach of your video content, one key component often overlooked is the inclusion of closed captions. They not only increase accessibility but also enhance viewer engagement and improve video SEO.
This complete guide covers the nuances of subtitles and closed captions, the benefits of adding closed captions to YouTube videos, and step-by-step instructions on how to add captions to both new and existing YouTube videos.
Are subtitles and closed captions the same or different?
While many people use the terms "subtitles" and "closed captions" interchangeably, they are slightly different. Subtitles, sometimes referred to as open captions, primarily translate the dialogue of a video for viewers who speak a different language. On the other hand, closed captions not only transcribe dialogues but also include important non-dialogue audio, such as sound effects or background noises, designed for the deaf and hard of hearing viewers.
Benefits of adding closed captions to YouTube videos
Adding closed captions to your YouTube videos offers several benefits:
- Accessibility — Closed captions make your videos accessible to a wider audience, including people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Comprehension — Captions help in better understanding of the video content, especially when the video is in a foreign language or when the audio quality is poor.
- SEO — Search engines can crawl the text of your captions, improving the SEO of your videos.
- Viewing in sound-sensitive environments — Viewers in sound-sensitive environments like libraries or workplaces can watch and understand videos without disturbing others.
Adding YouTube subtitles and captions
Adding captions might seem time-consuming, but with the help of automatic captions and other shortcuts, it gets easier. It's a worthwhile process that enhances video SEO, expands your reach, and increases accessibility. Whether you're creating tutorials, live streaming, or uploading an online video on your YouTube channel, adding captions to your videos is an effective way to increase your social media presence.
How to turn on captions for existing YouTube videos
- Open the YouTube video on your device (desktop, iPhone, tablet, etc.).
- In the video player, go to the bottom right corner and click on the "CC" icon. This will turn on the closed captions for the video.
- To change the language of the captions, click on the gear icon in the video player, then select Subtitles/CC from the drop-down menu. Choose the language you want from the list.
Note: This method relies on the video creator having added captions or having used YouTube's auto-generated subtitles being accurate, which is not always the case.
How to add captions to new YouTube videos
You can add captions to your YouTube videos through the YouTube Studio. Here's a step-by-step guide:
- Sign into your YouTube account and click on YouTube Studio on the top right.
- In the YouTube Studio dashboard, find the video you want to add captions to. You can use the search box on the top to find the video quickly.
- Hover over the video and click on the pencil icon to open video details.
- On the left side of the screen, click on Subtitles in the sidebar.
- Click on ADD LANGUAGE and select the language of your captions.
- Next to Subtitles, click on ADD. You will have three options: Upload file, Transcribe and auto-sync, and Create new subtitles or CC.
- If you have a pre-prepared caption file or subtitle file (like an SRT file), select Upload file and choose your file. Make sure the file type is supported.
- If you don't have a caption file, you can select "Transcribe and auto-sync." Here, you play the video and type out what's being said in the text box, and YouTube will auto-sync the text with the video.
- If you want to manually add captions, choose "Create new subtitles or CC." Here, you can manually add captions and timestamps.
- When you're done adding captions, click on Publish.
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