If you’ve ever shared a link on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and noticed how some posts look polished—with the perfect title, image, and description—while others look messy or incomplete—you’ve seen the power of Open Graph in action. In fact, on LinkedIn, posts that include links generate 13.57% more interactions and 4.90% more views than posts without links.
In this post, we’ll break down what is Open Graph, why it matters for your website, and how you can use it to control exactly how your content appears across social media platforms.
What Is Open Graph?
Open Graph (sometimes asked as what is an open graph or what is Open Graph protocol) is a technology created by Facebook that lets you control how your webpage appears when it’s shared.
By adding a few simple Open Graph tags (pieces of metadata in your HTML ), you decide the title, description, image, and type of your content. That means no more random thumbnails or cut-off titles—your content looks professional and clickable every time.
Why Is It Important for Websites?
Think of Open Graph as your website’s handshake on social media. Without it, platforms will try to guess what to show—which usually looks bad. With it, you:
- Increase clicks with better previews
- Improve engagement with eye-catching visuals
- Maintain consistent branding across platforms
- Boost SEO signals (yes, what is Open Graph in SEO matters—because better click-through rates send positive user signals to search engines)
What Happens if You Don’t Have It?
If you skip Open Graph tags:
- Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter might pull the wrong image or none at all.
- Titles can look awkward or too long.
- Descriptions may not appear, leaving your post looking incomplete.
Nothing will “break”—but you’ll miss the chance to make your content stand out in crowded feeds.
Basic Open Graph Metadata
Required Tags
At a minimum, every page should include these Open Graph tags:
- og:type → Defines the content type (e.g., website, article, video).
- og:url → The canonical URL for the page.
- og:title → The title of your content (≤ 60 characters).
- og:description → A short description (≤ 200 characters).
- og:image → The featured image that shows in previews (often searched as “what is an open graph image”).
Optional Tags
These aren’t required but help polish your previews:
- og:site_name → Your website name (e.g., IMDb, Shopify).
- og:locale → Content language (default is en_US).
- og:video → Link to a video, with width/height specs.
Types of Open Graph Tags
Website Type
For most sites, use:
Blog posts, however, should often use article.
Other Object Types
Open Graph supports verticals like:
- Music (music.song, music.album)
- Video (video.movie, video.tv_show)
- Article (article:published_time, article:author)
- Profile (profile:first_name, profile:last_name)
This flexibility is why people often ask open graph what is it?—it’s not just for websites.
Images in Open Graph
Image Requirements
- Minimum size: 200 x 200 pixels
- Recommended: 1200 x 628 pixels (Facebook standard)
- File types: JPG, PNG, GIF
- File size: < 5MB
Best Practices
- Always use high-resolution images.
- Add og:image:width and og:image:height to help platforms render faster.
- Provide an og:image:secure_url if your site uses HTTPS.
Open Graph on Social Platforms
Twitter Cards
Twitter has its own version called Twitter Cards, but if you don’t add them, Twitter will use your Open Graph tags.
Card types include:
- Summary
- Summary with large image
- App card
- Player card (video/audio)
Other Platforms
- What is Open Graph Facebook? → Facebook invented it, and uses it heavily for link previews.
- LinkedIn & Pinterest → Both rely on OG tags.
- Slack & WhatsApp → Pull Open Graph data for link snippets in chat.
Implementing Open Graph
How It Works
Social networks crawl your page and read your Open Graph tags.
How to Add Tags
Add them in the section of your HTML. Example:
If you use WordPress, plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math make this easy.
Testing and Debugging
- Facebook Sharing Debugger
- Twitter Card Validator
- LinkedIn Post Inspector
Always test after changes and refresh the cache if previews look wrong.
Advanced Considerations
Arrays & Structured Properties
You can include multiple images by repeating og:image tags. The first one is usually prioritized.
Open Graph vs Schema Markup
- Open Graph → Controls social media previews.
- Schema.org → Helps search engines display rich snippets (reviews, events, products).
Both work together.
Extra Tags Worth Adding
- og:audio (for music/podcasts)
- article:author (for blogs)
- og:determiner (for language nuance like “a” vs “the”)
Examples & Use Cases
Example Implementation
Practical Scenarios
- Blog posts → Control titles & images for content shares.
- E-commerce → Ensure product images/descriptions appear correctly.
- Video content → Use og:video to embed previews.
Final Thoughts
So—what is Open Graph? It’s the behind-the-scenes code that makes your content look good when it’s shared.
By adding Open Graph tags, you take control of your previews across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and beyond. Whether you’re blogging, selling products, or sharing videos, Open Graph helps your content stand out, improves click-through rates, and strengthens your overall SEO strategy.
If you’re serious about visibility, don’t just ask what is an open graph—implement it.
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