This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung →
Checking Open Graph: how your page looks when shared
Open Graph tags determine the title, description, and preview image when someone shares your page on a social network or messaging app. If they're missing, the platform pieces something together itself — often the page's first image, sometimes the logo, sometimes nothing.
- The difference isn't minor: a shared link with an image and a description gets noticeably more attention than a bare address. And unlike search results, there's no second chance here — the preview gets generated once, at the moment of sharing.
- A detail that's often overlooked: platforms cache the preview. If you change an image afterwards, the change only shows up there once the cache refreshes.
FAQ
Do we need Twitter Cards as well?
Usually not. If there are no dedicated tags, most platforms fall back to the Open Graph values. Dedicated markup is only worth it when you want a different display.
What image size makes sense?
A landscape format with enough resolution that it doesn't scale blurry. More important than the exact size is that the message stays legible even as a small preview.