Videos on GOV.WALES

We prefer to use text on GOV.WALES. We do not usually recommend using videos to explain ideas or processes as they:

• often duplicate written content
• make it harder for users to scan and find the information they need
• are expensive and slow to produce
• are harder to update, so they can become out-of-date and inaccurate
• perform less well in search than text

Use videos for British Sign Language (BSL). Usually publish BSL videos to YouTube and embed them in a page on GOV.WALES.

If you’ve created a marketing or campaign video, it’s best to publish it on:

• social media channels, then link users to content on GOV.WALES
• a GOV.WALES campaign site (if one has been created)

When producing videos you must meet the guidelines for bilingual communications. 

Titles and descriptions

The YouTube video title should:

• describe the topic or purpose
• be unique and make sense out of context, for example ‘help completing the home insulation grant form’ not ‘help completing the grant form’
• be no more than around 70 characters (including spaces)

The YouTube video description should: 

• clearly explain what the video is about (up to 5000 characters)
• use language that users will understand (use keyword tools such as Google Trends)

Captions and transcripts

Not all users will have access to audio. Ensure videos are accessible by adding closed captions and transcripts. These enable users accessing the video without audio to read the content.

Captions should normally be in the language the user has chosen. For example, if the user has chosen English but the video is bilingual (English and Welsh), then use English captions for the spoken Welsh.

Do not add open captions to YouTube videos. Open captions are also referred to as burned-in captions.

If the video will also be used on social media, consider whether a separate video with open captions is required. Find advice on how to use video captions on social media from the RNID.

Produce 2 versions of BSL videos, one with English captions and one with Welsh captions.

You can add or edit captions in your YouTube videos in YouTube Studio. YouTube will provide automated captioning. Do not rely on automated captioning to get everything right. For Welsh language you should always produce your own transcript.

Go through the automated captioning and check the following:

• captioning is in sync with the person speaking
• there are no spelling mistakes
• it has captured the correct words, paying special attention to uncommon words or phrases
• a maximum of 2 lines are used for captions

As well as dialogue, captions should:

• identify who is speaking
• identify changes to the language being spoken
• include non-speech information conveyed through sound, including meaningful sound effects

If the video is hosted on a site which requires the caption in a .srt, .vtt, or, .sbv file, you can download the caption file in YouTube.

Once you have completed the closed captioning, you must:

• save and publish the captions
• unpublish or delete the automated version

A transcript will be added to your video. You can access the transcript by selecting the 3 dots under the video and choosing ‘Open transcript’.

Autoplay

Do not set videos to autoplay. It can cause accessibility problems and interferes with how users browse the site.

Videos are set as unlisted when initially uploaded to YouTube. When you are ready to use the video, make the video public.

Create or edit a content type which can display video.

Get the video URL from YouTube:

1. from the video select Share then Embed
2. copy only the URL, it will include the word ‘embed’ and be similar to https://www.youtube.com/embed/yhP0P4jT74w

From the Paragraphs section select Add iFrame.

Paste the video URL into the SRC field.

Add a brief description to the Title field.

Set Width (percent) to 100.

Set Height (pixels) to 550 (it will then scale automatically).

Do not check Include responsive JS?