Can Video Schema Transcripts Boost Search Rankings?

According to Schema.org, markup is a collection of vocabularies that helps webmasters mark up their pages so that they are understood by major search engines like Google, Microsoft, Yandex, and Yahoo.

This article examines video schema, a specific type of structured data, more specifically, transcripts, and its effect on search rankings.

Table of Contents

The Role of Video Schema and Transcripts in SEO

In SEO, pairing structured data with video content is a strategy that many in the industry, support. The potential benefits include gaining a video rich snippet in search results, which is visually compelling and can significantly boost click-through rates. Video schema provides detailed information, including locations, events, individuals, and products.

An interesting aspect of video schema is the option to include a transcript. It’s more than just copying and pasting your video transcript on your website. Some elements are necessary for Google to process the schema correctly, but others, like transcripts, can be added optionally. The common belief in SEO circles is that the more detailed information you provide, the more likely your content is to be favorably indexed by search engines.

However, the question is: does adding extra details, like a transcript, directly improve your search rankings? Google’s official position is that structured data does not directly affect ranking. However, the presence of rich snippets can increase web traffic.

Benefits & SEO Impact Through Video Transcripts

Boost Visibility in SERPs: Video transcripts can significantly enhance the SEO of your video content. By providing context-rich text to accompany your videos, you offer search engines more information to crawl and index. This additional data can lead to increased visibility and a higher ranking of your videos in search engine results pages.
Enhance Accessibility and Indexability: Transcripts make video content more accessible, not just to search engines, but also to a broader audience, including individuals with hearing impairments or those who prefer reading over watching. An accessible and indexable video reaches a wider demographic, contributing positively to its SEO value.
Optimize for Keywords: The textual nature of transcripts allows for keyword optimization. By strategically including relevant keywords within your video transcript, you can align your video content more closely with search queries, thus improving its discoverability.
Enrich User Experience: Transcripts enhance user experience by offering viewers an alternative way to consume content. Some users may prefer to skim through the text rather than watch the entire video, especially in environments where watching a video isn’t feasible.

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The Dual Advantage of Visible Transcripts

While transcripts included in structured data may not directly impact rankings, making them visible on the page could be beneficial for SEO. This approach increases content depth and keyword targeting. However, adding transcripts directly to high-conversion pages could interfere with user experience and design.

A practical solution is to introduce a “Video Transcript For Hard of Hearing” button near the video content. This makes the transcript available in a readable and indexable format without cluttering the page’s design, potentially benefiting both video snippet visibility and content depth.

Structured data goes beyond conventional SEO, catering to voice search and Google’s Knowledge Graph. This clarity and accessibility are increasingly important as technology evolves, allowing content to be leveraged by new search methodologies.

How to Include Your Transcript In Your Video Schema Markup

Step 1: Preparing the Transcript

Transcribe Your Video: Ensure you have a complete and accurate transcript of your video. This transcript should match the spoken content and include relevant non-spoken elements (like music or sound effects) that are essential for understanding the video.
Use Designrr.io video transcription software. You can either upload the YouTube URL or the actual video and it will transcribe your entire video.

Here’s our full guide on how to transcribe your video with Designrr.io.

Format the Transcript: For ease of use, format your transcript as plain text. Ensure it is readable and free from errors.

Step 2: Modifying the Video Schema Markup

Extend Your JSON-LD Script: You will need to add an additional property to your JSON-LD script to include the transcript. This is done by using the “transcript” property.
Update the Code: Modify your existing video schema JSON-LD script to include the transcript. Here’s an extended version of the earlier template with the transcript added:

{

“@context”: “http://schema.org”,

“@type”: “VideoObject”,

“name”: “Title of Your Video”,

“description”: “Description of your video content”,

“thumbnailUrl”: “URL of the thumbnail image”,

“uploadDate”: “Upload date in YYYY-MM-DD format”,

“duration”: “Video duration in ISO 8601 format”,

“transcript”: “Your full video transcript text here”

}

Replace “Your full video transcript text here” with the actual text of your transcript.
Consider Length: If your transcript is very long, you may need to truncate it and include a link to the full transcript hosted on your website. This can be done using the “transcript” property for a brief version and adding an additional link within your webpage’s content for the full version.

Step 3: Validating and Testing

Re-validate the Markup: After updating your schema markup with the transcript, re-run the validation using a tool like Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure there are no errors.

Rich Results Test: Perform the Rich Results Test again with the updated page URL to confirm that Google can process the extended structured data.

Step 4: Monitor and Update

Regular Checks: Regularly check your structured data using Google Search Console to ensure it’s being correctly processed and indexed.

Updates and Revisions: Keep your transcript and structured data updated with any changes to your video content.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, while video structured data is valuable for achieving rich snippets, the role of video transcripts in the schema is not as straightforward in terms of direct SEO benefits. Including transcripts on the webpage in a user-friendly way appears to be a more effective strategy for improving search rankings.

Summary:

Transcripts in structured data alone do not lead to higher rankings.
Video structured data can result in rich snippets and better click-through rates.
Adding visible transcripts to your page may have positive effects on rankings.
A “Video Transcript for Hard of Hearing” button is a recommended approach.