Open Graph is a protocol that allows a web page to determine how it appears when its URL is shared on a social media platform or in a messaging app.
Introduced by Facebook in 2010 and subsequently adopted by LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Telegram, X, and various email clients, it works through a set of meta tags embedded in the page’s code.
The three main parameters are og:title, the title displayed in the preview; og:description, the accompanying text; and og:image, the card image, for which the recommended size is 1200 by 630 pixels.
We also add `og:url`, which specifies the canonical URL, and `og:type`, which describes the nature of the content.
When these tags are present, the preview shows what the author has chosen. When they are missing, the platform automatically selects the first relevant item it finds, often the site’s logo or a secondary image.
Open Graph affects sharing and is distinct from search engine rankings, which are influenced by title tags and meta descriptions.
The platforms store the preview in memory for a few days: after making a change, it’s a good idea to force a refresh using LinkedIn’s Post Inspector or Facebook’s Sharing Debugger.