Should You Create A Transcript of Podcasts

[SparkplugDigital]

SEOMoz creates transcripts of videos, but would you recommend creating a text transcript if you create a podcast that is 15 minutes or longer?

[Hurf]

Definitely! You get the obvious HUGE SEO benefit mentioned previously - AND you are also improving the visitor experience - as they get all of the additional benefits that text gives you i.e the transcription can be read on low bandwidth connections, devices with no video support, downloaded to be read later, printed for reference, translated into other languages.

Be sure to give consideration to accessibility to disabled users too! A text transcription allows hearing impaired users to access your content - be mindful of the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act - Comliance with the dda is a legal requirement in the UK, From http://www.disability.gov.uk/dda/smefinal.html

What happens if I fail to make reasonable adjustments? You might be breaking the law. A disabled person can make a claim against a provider whose services are impossible or unreasonably difficult for him or her to access.)Additionally you can add links to other relevant pages within your site using the anchor text generated...

If your video content is longer than 15 minutes because it is genuinely good content then it is worth transcribing all of it. Don't forget you can omit any parts of the transcription that may not be that engaging.

[MarieHaynes]

I read the transcripts of WBF quite often.  If I want to check it out on my break at work, I may not want the whole office listening in to the video.  And then there are other times where I just want to skim the content of the transcript to decide whether I want to put the time into watching the video.

[gmellak]

Just think of how often you have really read the video transcript of the wbf videos .... probably, hardly ever you do - they're basically for the search engines, to be able to index your video according to the content you're talking about.

By the way, as transcripts are usually "spoken language", by transcribing podcasts you cover tons of search phrases you wouldn't normally publish in an article - but these are phrases people DO use when searching.

[MarieHaynes]

Yes!  The whole idea is to populate your page with keywords for the search engines to see.  You may have the best content in the world on your video, but Google won't know it unless it is in typed words on the page.

[EGOL]

Absolutely!  How could you possibly resist all of that content?  salivating

Related discussion here.