Can customers follow your website videos without sound?

A short video can show customers how a product works or what to expect from a service. But can they follow it with the sound off? Before adding another clip, check one video already on your website.

Choose a useful example, such as a product demonstration, an introduction or a booking explanation. Watch it on the page where customers see it, rather than only in your video editor.

Start with one complete viewing

Turn on the captions and watch from beginning to end. Captions should convey speech and the important sounds needed to understand the video. W3C’s guidance on captions explains that these words must be synchronised with the audio. A block of text below the video serves a different purpose.

Note the time of each problem. Listen for names, product terms, numbers and short words that change the meaning. If someone says a service is “not available on Sundays”, a missing “not” would give customers the wrong information. This is an example to look for, not a claim about your own opening hours.

Check automatic captions before relying on them

Automatic captions can provide a starting point, but W3C advises that they need to be checked for full accuracy. Do not treat the presence of a captions button as proof that the words are correct.

Ask the person who manages the video to correct errors in the caption track. Keep a short repair list: the time, what the caption says and what the speaker actually says. Check that captions appear with the relevant speech, remain long enough to read and do not hide the part of a demonstration that customers need to see.

After the correction, play the embedded version on your public page again. Check the start, each repaired section and the ending. Confirm that the corrected track is the one visitors can select.

Give readers a transcript too

A transcript gives people a text version they can read separately. W3C’s transcript guidance distinguishes a basic transcript of speech and relevant sounds from a descriptive transcript that also includes visual information needed to understand the video.

For a demonstration, look for steps that happen silently. If the presenter points to a particular control or shows a finished result without describing it, add that useful visual information to the descriptive transcript. Keep the sequence clear and identify speakers where this helps the reader.

Place the transcript on the page or provide a clearly labelled link close to the video. For a short clip, a heading such as “Read the video transcript” can make the text easy to find. A transcript complements captions; it does not replace synchronised captions for someone watching the video.

Try the controls on a phone and keyboard

Open the page on your phone. Can you find the caption control and read the words without them being cut off? Rotate the screen if you normally use both orientations. Check the final page layout, including any text or buttons beside the video.

Then use a desktop keyboard to reach and operate the player controls. Record any control you cannot reach or identify. Our website keyboard check explains how to start. These spot checks do not establish that the whole video or website meets accessibility standards.

Keep a small review record

Save the page address, video title, review date, errors found and the person responsible for corrections. Repeat the check when you replace the video or change its player. Put the information customers need to act on in ordinary page text as well, so they do not have to search through a clip for a basic next step.

Want to discuss a video that is difficult to use on your website? Contact Hobbit Web Design with the page address and a short description of the problem.