A Comprehensive Guide to Adding Closed Captions to Videos

The Complete Guide to Adding Closed Captions to Your Videos

Video content shapes how people learn, work, and communicate online. From online lessons and business training to social media posts and movies, videos are everywhere. But to reach everyone, including people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speak another language, adding closed captions is essential.

This guide explains how to add closed captions to your video step-by-step. You’ll also learn why GoTranscript is a top choice for getting quick, accurate captions.

Why Closed Captions Matter

Closed Captions Create Access

• Help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing understand your message.
• Support those watching in noisy or sound-sensitive places.
• Make your content accessible to a global audience (about 5% of the world's population has disabling hearing loss, according to WHO in 2021).

Boost Engagement and Learning

• Captions improve comprehension and memory by letting people read along with audio (National Research Center, 2019).
• Viewers who use captions can remember more details from videos.

Closed Captions Increase SEO

• Search engines can index the text in your captions, helping more people find your videos online (3PlayMedia, 2022).

Step-by-Step: Adding Closed Captions to Your Videos

Step 1: Choose a Transcription Service

Your first step is picking the right service to turn speech into accurate text for captions.

• GoTranscript uses skilled human transcribers who understand accents, context, and industry terminology.
• While automated transcription is faster, it often mishears names or complex words.
• For sensitive or technical content, humans provide better accuracy—GoTranscript’s human-verification boasts over 99% accuracy (GoTranscript, 2023).

Step 2: Upload Your Video

After selecting GoTranscript, upload your video file directly to their secure online portal.

• GoTranscript supports many file formats and allows you to add special instructions, such as needing transcription proofreading, speaker labels, or time stamps.
• Their process is user-friendly—even if you’re new to transcription or captioning.

Step 3: Review and Edit the Transcript

Once your transcript is complete, you’ll receive it online for review.

• Check for any small errors or update technical words.
• Use GoTranscript’s editing tool—easy to use, even on your phone or tablet.

Step 4: Create an SRT File for Captions

To turn your transcript into proper closed captions, you’ll need a file with time codes so captions appear at the right moment.

• The most common format is SRT (SubRip Subtitle).
• GoTranscript can automatically create SRT files for you, syncing the text with your video’s audio.

Step 5: Add the SRT File to Your Video

Almost every video-sharing platform allows you to upload SRT caption files.

• YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others have simple upload buttons for captions.
• Once added, viewers can turn captions on or off as needed.

Why Use GoTranscript for Closed Captions?

• Human-Level Accuracy: Get more accurate captions than AI alone, especially for specialized or accented speech. GoTranscript’s multi-step checking ensures reliability.
• Customization: Request extra features like full verbatim text, speaker identification, and foreign language support—including text translation and audio translation.
• Fast Turnaround: Receive your captions quickly, even for urgent projects.
• Easy Ordering: Upload your files and order captions or transcripts with just a few clicks.
• Affordable Rates: Check captioning services pricing and transcription pricing before you decide.
• Professional Support: Reach out to GoTranscript’s help team if you have questions at any step.

Extra Caption and Subtitling Solutions

• Want caption files in other languages? Try GoTranscript’s subtitling services.
• For bulk projects or ongoing needs, an AI transcription subscription might save you money and time.

Conclusion: Make Your Videos Accessible With GoTranscript

Closed captions help your content reach more people, increase retention, and support inclusive communication. Following this guide, you’ll make every video easier to find and enjoy—no matter your audience’s needs or location.

GoTranscript makes the captioning process simple. You can easily order transcription or order captions online. With GoTranscript’s human-powered service and flexible features, you know your videos will stand out and be accessible for everyone.