Provide Text Equivalents for Media - Squarespace

Provide Text Equivalents for Media in Squarespace

1. Open your Squarespace site and navigate to the page containing the media (video, audio, animation, or embed), then click Edit to activate inline editing.
2. Select the media block:
   • Hover over the block until the toolbar appears.
   • Click Edit to open the media settings panel.
3. Determine the type of media you are working with:
   • Video Block (YouTube/Vimeo)
   • Video Upload (Squarespace-hosted)
   • Audio Block
   • Embed Block (custom media player, animation, widget)
4. Add a nearby text equivalent:
   • Click Add Block (+) below or above the media.
   • Choose Text or Markdown.
   • Write a short description of what the media conveys (e.g., “This video introduces our design process.”).
5. If the media includes spoken dialogue or essential audio:
   • Create a Rich Text block below the media.
   • Add a complete transcript including dialogue, speaker names if needed, and important sound cues.
   • Add a heading like Transcript for clarity.
6. For YouTube or Vimeo videos:
   • Open the hosting platform in a separate tab.
   • Enable closed captions on the video if available.
   • Squarespace will display captions automatically if the platform supports them.
7. For media added via an Embed Block (animations, custom players, widgets):
   • Select the Embed Block → Edit.
   • Ensure the embed code includes accessible controls if applicable.
   • Add a nearby text description or transcript since embed code cannot include Squarespace-native alt text.
8. For background video sections:
   • Select the section → click Background.
   • Because background videos cannot include alt text or captions, add descriptive text in the same section explaining the video content.
9. Repeat steps 2–8 for each media element on the page to ensure every piece has an appropriate text equivalent.
10. Switch to Mobile preview and confirm that descriptions and transcripts appear clearly and remain properly associated with the media.
11. Click Preview to verify that all text equivalents appear correctly and maintain visual alignment with their respective media blocks.
12. Save and publish your changes, then review the live page to ensure media elements and their text equivalents function correctly and are fully accessible.