A step-by-step walkthrough for editors covering every video type in Finalsite: hero area videos, Video Elements, YouTube Elements, Vimeo Elements, and Embed Elements. Part of the AudioEye how-to series: practical guides for the most common issues your AudioEye report surfaces.
💡Quick answers
- What does AudioEye mean by missing captions? A video on your page either has no captions, or the captions exist but aren't set to load by default.
- Can AudioEye add them for me? No. Captions must be added to the video file itself or on the hosting platform (YouTube/Vimeo).
-
How do I find the video? Add
/?oss=1to the URL. The scanner highlights the specific video element. -
What if I uploaded the video to Finalsite? You need a
.vttcaption file, which you upload directly in the element settings. - How do I fix YouTube or Vimeo? Fix them in YouTube Studio or Vimeo Settings first, then ensure the Finalsite element is set to show them.
In this article
- Why captions and transcripts matter
- What AudioEye shows you
- Step 1: Find the flagged video
- Step 2: Identify your video type
- Step 3: Add captions for your video type
- Step 4: Add a transcript
- Step 5: Verify the fix
Why captions and transcripts matter
Captions make video accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing. They also benefit users in noisy environments, those watching with the sound off, and non-native English speakers. Additionally, search engines index caption text, which improves your site's discoverability.
WCAG 2.1 SC 1.2.2 (Captions, Prerecorded) requires captions on all prerecorded video with audio.
What AudioEye shows you
Caption issues appear as "Video element missing captions" or "Prerecorded video missing text alternative." AudioEye may also separately flag autoplay video without a pause control. You should address both flags at the same time if they appear together.
Step 1: Find the flagged video
Open the page and add /?oss=1 to the URL (or &oss=1 if the URL already has parameters). The scanner highlights the specific video and shows you what is missing.
Step 2: Identify your video type
The fix is different depending on how the video was added to Finalsite.
Click the element in Composer to see its name in the top-left toolbar:
- Hero area video: Background video at the top of a page.
- Video Element: A file uploaded directly to Finalsite.
- YouTube / Vimeo Element: Built-in elements for these platforms.
-
Embed Element: Raw
<iframe>code pasted from another source.
Step 3: Add captions for your video type
Videos hosted in Finalsite: Hero areas and Video elements
These require a WebVTT (.vtt) caption file.
- Open the element settings in Composer.
- Go to the Accessibility or Text Tracks tab.
- Upload your
.vttfile and set the language to English. - Publish the page.
Videos hosted externally: YouTube and Vimeo elements
Captions are managed on the hosting platform, not in Finalsite.
- YouTube: Log into YouTube Studio, go to Subtitles, and publish corrected captions. Ensure they are the "default" track.
- Vimeo: Go to video settings > Subtitles. Upload your file and set it to load automatically.
⚠️ Important Note
Is AudioEye still flagging the video? Ensure the Show captions by default option is checked in the Finalsite element properties.
Embed elements: Raw iframe code
You must manually add "parameters" to the URL inside the code:
-
YouTube: Add
cc_load_policy=1to the URL in thesrcattribute. -
Vimeo: Add
texttrack=ento the URL.
⚠️ Important Note
If you aren't comfortable editing raw HTML, contact Finalsite Support. A small mistake in an iframe can break your page layout.
Step 4: Add a transcript
A transcript is a full text version of the audio. While standard video needs captions, a transcript is strictly required for audio-only content (like a podcast) and strongly recommended for all video. Here are some different ways you can add a transcript:
- Accordion: Use a collapsible Accordion element below the video labeled "Read the transcript."
- Resources: Link to a document (PDF or Word) uploaded to Resources.
- Content Element: For short videos, simply type the transcript directly below the video in a Content element.
Step 5: Verify the fix
- Publish your changes.
- Reload the page with
/?oss=1. - Confirm the scanner no longer flags the video.
⚠️ Important Note
Play the video manually to test out whether the captions actually appear on the screen!
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