How to make video and audio accessible

Before you begin

It's best to consider the accessibility of your video and audio-only content before you create it. 

On this page

Plan accessibility into your project

First, check if you can address the problem or issue with words first - it’s quicker and easier for users to find information in text.

Video or audio content:

  • is expensive and slow to produce
  • is harder to update, so becomes out-of-date and inaccurate quickly
  • takes longer to load than text on slow internet connections
  • uses more data, which is an issue for users on mobile phones
  • is less search-friendly than text

If you create video or audio content, you must make sure it's accessible so more people can access the information.

Check who is responsible for making content accessible

Explaining concepts or processes with videos

Explain concepts or processes clearly and concisely for the general public in words first. It’s easier and quicker for people to find information in text compared to video.

Video about concepts or processes often:

  • do not work for less visual concepts
  • are watched by a small proportion of users
  • duplicate written content, so they add to a user’s mental load
  • make it harder for users to scan for the information they need
  • often have calls-to-action that link users back to the page the video is on, creating a circular user journey

If you’re thinking about using videos to address a problem or issue, think about if you can address it with words first.

If it’s hard to explain clearly in words, it's a sign the concept or process itself may need simplifying.

Where we host our videos 

We host our videos on the council’s YouTube channel. 

We've chosen this platform because we believe it's the most accessible video format for many of our users (GOV.UK).

Videos on our YouTube channel can be set in three ways.

  • Public: These videos are open to the general public and visible by search engines or YouTube search. 
  • Unlisted: These videos do not appear in search results, but you can share these videos if you have the link - ideal for emailing videos or linking to videos from webpages.
  • Private: These videos are locked down and creators must manually share the video with each intended viewer (not recommended).

Adding a video to web content

Videos should be reviewed by the communications team to make sure they are produced to a minimum standard for our website.

Services who have access to edit their web pages should not try to add or embed videos themselves. This is because we must check:

  • the format is appropriate for channel, like for videos shared on social media
  • videos have audio description, captions or transcripts added
  • embedded videos on our web pages have special HTML code added to make them more accessible

If you’ve created a marketing or campaign video, it’s best to publish it on social media channels, then link users to the web page content it talks about.

If you work for the council and would like to discuss creating or using video or audio content on our websites, contact the communications team [council staff only].