Transcript
A transcript is the full textual record of an audio or video, including dialogue and significant non-speech audio. Transcripts make audio-only content accessible to deaf users and audio+video content accessible to deafblind users.
Detailed explanation
WCAG 2.1 SC 1.2.1 (Audio-only and Video-only, Prerecorded) at Level A requires a transcript for any prerecorded audio-only content (e.g., a podcast). For video-only content, the alternative is a transcript or audio description. Captions alone do not satisfy 1.2.1 for podcasts.
Transcripts also have major SEO benefits: search engines and LLMs index transcript text, surfacing audio content in search and AI Overview results that pure-audio embeds miss entirely.
How this applies to Shopify stores
Shopify storefronts that publish a brand podcast or founder video should publish a transcript on the same page or a linked subpage. AccessComply detects pages with audio/video and no associated transcript.
Primary source: w3.org