The most obvious and well known reason to transcribe videos and audio is for SEO benefits, and it’s true, Google loves text. By adding a transcription you give search engines a better idea of the subject matter and your post is certainly going to rank higher than if you didn’t include text, all things equal.

Other Reasons to Transcribe Rich Media

To Make Writing Descriptions, Headlines & Highlights Easy
By transcribing your video or podcast, you instantly have all the raw content you need to make descriptions for various social media channels and your own website’s metadata. Transcribing will also give you a better understanding of the key themes within your content which will make writing your copy and headlines much easier.

To Find it Later
Many people will remember a certain word or phrase in your video or podcast and search for that because they can’t remember the title. Let’s say you were an accountant, a customer might type in your name and ‘Xero’ to find out your opinions on that piece of software or they might type in your name and ‘super co-contribution’ to find out your advice on that topic. In those instances Google will be able to bring up key pages of your site where those keywords are mentioned, even if they are not used in your video or podcast title.

For visitors who Prefer Reading
Some people learn more by reading

For People Who Aren’t Allowed to Play Sound in their Office
A common situation for many office workers, especially if your subject matter doesn’t relate to their work.

For Visitors not yet Fluent in English
For businesses who have a proportion of customers who speak English as a second language, a transcription may be extremely helpful.

Added Resources
Throughout your transcription, where appropriate, you can link to resources. During conversations and discussions there are often references made to other websites, people and places that you can insert.

Added Value
Transcribing rich media is certainly worth the effort in the long run. Your online properties are going to be found more often by a wider range of people and you instantly provide an added service to your existing followers.

Pepper Content offers a transcription service to coaching clients through the 5 Hour Package