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SEO
What are Open Graph tags, and why does my website need them?
Open Graph tags are invisible values in the source code that determine how your page looks when someone shares the link — in WhatsApp, LinkedIn, or Facebook, say. The messenger builds the preview card with image, title, and short description from these values. If they're missing, instead of an appealing card, just a bare link or a random snippet of text appears, often with no image at all.
The preview card is built from five values
When a customer posts your link in a WhatsApp group, the messenger asks your website: how should this link be displayed? The answer comes from five Open Graph values in the source code — a title for the preview, a short description, a preview image, the page's address, and the content type. If all five are present, a complete card results: image on top, title below it, description alongside. Our check verifies each of these five values individually, and the report states exactly which ones are missing. The more complete the set, the more points the page gets on this check point.
Shared links are recommendations among acquaintances
A shared link is the most valuable form of advertising: a personal recommendation from someone the recipient knows. The preview card decides whether that recommendation turns into a click. A card with an image and a clear title looks like a well-kept shop window; a bare link with no image looks like a boarded-up display — many recipients don't even click it. This isn't limited to social networks: even when an employee sends your link internally in Teams, or a customer forwards it via messenger to friends, the preview is built from the same Open Graph values.
How to set up the values permanently
The five values are set once per page in the source code; many content management systems offer dedicated fields for this, often labelled something like "social media preview". Care pays off for the preview image: it should show your offering or business, and be in landscape format, since messengers display the card wide. The title and description may differ from the page title and meta description — for sharing, an inviting tone matters more than matching a search query. Once set up, the preview stays stable until someone changes the values. Our check shows you, per page, whether the set is complete.
- Send yourself your homepage's link via WhatsApp and look at the preview that results.
- Ask your agency to set all five Open Graph values on every important page: title, description, image, address, and content type.
- Choose a landscape photo showing your offering or your team as the preview image, instead of the logo on a white background.
- Repeat the WhatsApp test after every major change to the website.
- Also check the subpages you actively send out — offer pages or job listings, say.
FAQ
Why doesn't WhatsApp show an image for my link?
WhatsApp builds the preview from the Open Graph values in your page's source code. If the value for the preview image is missing, the card stays image-free, or just the bare link appears. Your agency can set the image as an Open Graph value; after that, the messenger shows the full card. Our check states missing values individually per page.
What Open Graph values does a page need?
Five values make up a complete preview: a title, a short description, a preview image, the page's address, and the content type — "website" or "article", say. Our check verifies all five individually, and awards points proportionally, based on how many are present. The audit report states exactly which values are missing on which page.
Do Open Graph tags affect my Google ranking?
Their main effect is in sharing, not in ranking: they determine the preview card in messengers and social networks. The benefit is measurable nonetheless — appealing previews get clicked more often, and shared links bring visitors who arrive via a personal recommendation. That's why the complete set of values belongs to the SEO audit area of our examination.