If you've ever shared a link on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn and wondered why some links show up with beautiful preview cards while others look like plain text... you've encountered Open Graph images. Let's break down what they are, why they matter, and how to get them right. What is Open Graph? Open Graph is a protocol (basically a set of rules) created by Facebook in 2010. It tells social media platforms what to display when someone shares a link. Without Open Graph tags, platforms have to guess what your page is about. They might grab a random image from your page, truncate your title weirdly, or show no preview at all. With proper Open Graph tags, you control exactly what people see. _[Diagram showing how a webpage with OG tags translates to a social media preview card]_ The Key Open Graph Tags There are several OG tags, but these four are the essentials: og:title — The title that appears in the preview card javascript <meta property="og:title" content="Your Page Title Here" /> og:description — A brief description of your page javascript <meta property="og:description" content="A short summary of what this page is about" /> og:image — The URL of your preview image (this is the big one) javascript <meta property="og:image" content=" https://yoursite.com/image.png " /> og:url — The canonical URL of your page javascript <meta property="og:url" content=" https://yoursite.com/page " /> Why the Image Matters Most Here's the thing: people are visual creatures. When scrolling through a feed, the image is what catches attention first. A study by Buffer found that tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those without. And while Open Graph images aren't exactly the same as regular images, the principle holds. Your OG image is often the first visual impression someone has of your content. It needs to: - Grab attention in a crowded feed - Communicate what the content is about - Look professional and trustworthy - Be readable at various sizes The Ideal OG Image Specifications Different platforms have different requirements, but these specs work well across the board: - Dimensions: 1200 × 630 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio) - File size: Under 5MB (smaller is better for loading) - Format: PNG or JPG - Safe area: Keep important content away from edges (some platforms crop slightly) _[Visual guide showing the 1200x630 canvas with safe zones marked]_ Platform-Specific Considerations Twitter Twitter uses its own "Twitter Cards" system, but falls back to Open Graph tags if Twitter-specific tags aren't present. For images, they recommend: - Minimum: 300 × 157 pixels - Maximum: 4096 × 4096 pixels - Recommended: 1200 × 628 pixels LinkedIn LinkedIn is pickier about image dimensions. They prefer: - Recommended: 1200 × 627 pixels - Images should be high quality and professional Facebook Facebook follows standard OG specs: - Minimum: 200 × 200 pixels - Recommended: 1200 × 630 pixels Slack, Discord, and Messaging Apps These platforms generally respect OG tags and display previews similarly to Twitter and Facebook. Common OG Image Mistakes 1. Using your logo as the OG image Your logo alone doesn't tell people what the page is about. Include context. 2. Text that's too small Your image will be displayed at different sizes. If text isn't readable at 400px wide, make it bigger. 3. Low contrast Light text on light backgrounds, or dark text on dark backgrounds. Hard to read = ignored. 4. Forgetting to set one If you don't specify an OG image, platforms will grab whatever they can find—usually something random and inappropriate. 5. Using the same image for every page Your homepage image shouldn't be your blog post image. Each page deserves its own relevant preview. How to Check Your OG Tags Before sharing, test your OG tags using these tools: - Facebook Sharing Debugger — Shows exactly what Facebook will display - Twitter Card Validator — Preview your Twitter cards - LinkedIn Post Inspector — Check LinkedIn previews - opengraph.xyz — Quick universal checker These tools also clear cached versions, which is helpful when you've updated your images. Dynamic vs Static OG Images Here's where things get interesting. Static OG images are single images you create manually for each page. Fine for small sites, but doesn't scale. Dynamic OG images are generated automatically based on page content. Set up a template once, and every new page gets a custom image with the right title, date, author, etc. For blogs, SaaS products, and any site that publishes regular content, dynamic OG images are the way to go. You get consistency without the manual work. _[Side by side comparison: manually created static images vs automatically generated dynamic images]_ Getting Started Without Code You don't need to be a developer to implement good OG images. Modern tools let you: 1. Design templates visually (drag and drop) 2. Connect dynamic data (pull titles automatically) 3. Generate images on-the-fly 4. Integrate with any platform The technical barrier that used to exist is basically gone. If you can use Canva, you can set up dynamic OG images. The Bottom Line Open Graph images might seem like a small detail, but they have an outsized impact on how your content performs when shared. Every link you share is an opportunity to make a great first impression. Take the time to get your OG images right. Your click-through rates will thank you.