5 reasons why subtitles are important
People spend 6 hours and 48 minutes per week on average watching online videos. And it does not come as a surprise because videos are the favourite source of information for 66% of people. Whether it is on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn or a website, people rely on video content to learn about new products and brands.
For marketers, this means that they should include videos in their strategy so consumers can learn about their brands. And when creating videos, it is important to use subtitles for a number of reasons. Keep reading to learn the five reasons why you should add subtitles to your videos.
Are you looking for a partner to help you with your captions and subtitles? Ampere Translations has extensive experience providing captions and multilingual subtitles to help you reach your international audience. Get in touch today to discuss your needs.
Consumer Preference
As the number of consumers who watch videos “on the go” or in public places increases, so does the need for subtitles. According to a study by Verizon Media, 69% of consumers prefer to watch a video with sound off in public places and 25% watch videos with sound off in private places. The same study reveals that as many as 80% of consumers are more likely to watch a video to completion if subtitles were available.
But subtitles are not only important for those who prefer to watch videos on mute. For people learning a second language, subtitles are a helpful tool to understand the content, since spoken language is usually harder to understand than text.
Accessibility
People with hearing disabilities need captions or subtitles. According to the World Health Organization, 5% of the world’s population has a hearing impairment (432 million adults and 34 million children). This means that without captions or subtitles, many people are not able to understand a video.
Making videos accessible helps those with disabilities enjoy your content as much as someone without a disability. In some cases, it is a legal requirement. For example, in Spain, there are several laws that define web accessibility standards that government agencies and organizations and large private companies must meet.
By adding subtitles to your videos you can reach a wider audience since people with disabilities will be able to consume your content. This means that more people can engage and understand your brand and your products.
More visibility with SEO
Adding captions and subtitles to videos contributes to better SEO ranking. Simply put, you will get more views if search engine bots are able to read the text of your multimedia content.
Google uses the title and description of a video to learn about it, but the search engine also crawls the text from captions and subtitles and therefore people can find you when searching for a keyword that is in your captions and subtitles.
Language for non-native speakers
You can reach a larger audience by providing subtitles in other languages. Yes, people prefer to watch videos in their native language. If your audience does not speak the language of your video, translating a video using subtitles is an effective and affordable way to make your video accessible to a wider audience.
With more than 80% of views on YouTube coming from outside of the United States, the potential of reaching more viewers is huge. An added advantage is that search engines index and include the translated subtitles in search results for each language, providing an opportunity to rank in new markets. Learn how to translate YouTube videos to make your video content available to anyone, regardless of their language.
A better understanding of the video
Some consumers prefer to watch videos with subtitles because they understand them better. Not everyone learns the same way. Some people need to see things, while others need to hear them. If a video has subtitles, you can be sure that everyone will understand the message.
Subtitles or no subtitles?
Many people prefer to watch videos using subtitles. They are also effective for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. They can boost your SEO and take your content around the world with the translation into multiple languages.
Are you looking for a partner to help you with your captions and subtitles? Ampere Translations has extensive experience providing captions and multilingual subtitles to help you reach your international audience. Get in touch today to discuss your needs.
