Open Graph
Open Graph is a protocol introduced by Facebook that allows web pages to control how their content appears when shared on social media platforms — defining the title, image, and description shown in link previews.
Definition¶
Open Graph (OG) is a protocol developed by Facebook (now Meta) that allows website owners to specify how their content appears when shared on social media platforms. Open Graph tags are placed in the <head> section of a web page as <meta> tags with property="og:..." attributes.
When a link is shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (when no Twitter Card is specified), Slack, or many other platforms, the platform reads these tags to construct the link preview.
Core Open Graph Tags¶
<meta property="og:title" content="AI Humanizer — Free AI Text Humanizer | AI Humanizer">
<meta property="og:description" content="Paste AI-generated text and get a natural, human-sounding rewrite in seconds.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://www.aihumanizer.com/og-image.png">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.aihumanizer.com/">
<meta property="og:type" content="website">
<meta property="og:site_name" content="AI Humanizer">
Important OG Tag Details¶
og:image — the most impactful tag for social sharing. Images should be:
- At least 1200×630 pixels (optimal for most platforms)
- Under 1MB
- Have a defined og:image:alt for accessibility
og:type — website for homepages and tools; article for blog posts, guides, and news content. Article type enables additional tags like article:published_time.
og:url — should match the canonical URL, with trailing slash if your canonicals have one.
Open Graph vs. Twitter Cards¶
Twitter (now X) uses its own twitter: meta tags for link previews. When Twitter Card tags are absent, platforms fall back to Open Graph. Most sites implement both:
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="...">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="...">
Why Open Graph Matters for SEO¶
Open Graph doesn't directly affect search rankings, but it significantly affects social click-through rates. Pages without OG tags rely on the platform's auto-generated preview, which is often poorly cropped, uses the wrong title, or shows no image at all. A well-configured OG image and description increases the likelihood that shared links get clicked.