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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe reliable way to create a link preview is to publish page-specific Open Graph metadata, add X card tags, serve a reachable image, and then inspect the live URL on each destination. A social card is assembled by a platform crawler; your tags are input, not a guarantee that Facebook, LinkedIn, X or another service will render identical fields or crops.
This guide gives working metadata, visual examples, image specifications, platform checks and fixes for missing or stale previews.
What a social media card contains
When someone shares a URL, the destination fetches the page and builds a compact card. Depending on the service and layout, it may show a title, description, representative image, domain or the shared URL. The page owner normally controls the suggested values through metadata in the document head.
The Open Graph protocol defines four basic properties: og:title, og:type, og:image and og:url. og:description is optional but useful, and og:image:alt can describe the image for accessibility. Use the canonical page URL in og:url so crawlers can associate variants with one address. See the Open Graph protocol.
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A shared metadata baseline
Place this in the <head> of every public page, replacing the example values with that page’s own content. The X fields provide an explicit large-image card request while the Open Graph values remain useful to other crawlers.
<meta property="og:type" content="website">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/page">
<meta property="og:title" content="A clear page-specific headline">
<meta property="og:description" content="One concise sentence explaining what the reader will find.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/social-card.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="Short description of the social-card image">
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:url" content="https://example.com/page">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="A clear page-specific headline">
<meta name="twitter:description" content="One concise sentence explaining what the reader will find.">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/images/social-card.jpg">This field combination follows the practical sample in HubSpot’s implementation guide. If you declare multiple values for one Open Graph property, the protocol gives preference to the first tag, so remove stale duplicates rather than relying on order.
Choose values per page
- Title: write a readable headline that makes sense without the site’s navigation or template name.
- Description: state what the visitor will get in one sentence; do not paste a keyword list.
- Type: use
websitefor a general landing page and choose a more specific Open Graph type only when your implementation supports it. - URL: use the final HTTPS canonical URL, not a tracking or redirect URL.
- Image: provide an absolute, publicly fetchable HTTPS URL. Keep the image relevant to the page.
- Alt text: describe the meaningful subject of the image rather than repeating the headline.
Four social media card examples
1. Article card
Use a representative photograph or illustration and a page-specific headline. Keep text on the artwork short because the platform may also print the title below it. For example, an article about home networking could use a router photograph, the title “How to Fix Intermittent Wi‑Fi,” and a description that promises the troubleshooting scope.
2. Product or landing page
Show the recognizable product, service or brand cue. Let the metadata supply the offer and context: the image can establish identity while the title explains the page’s action or benefit. Avoid placing a paragraph of pricing or terms inside the image, where it may be cropped.
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3. Documentation page
A docs card works well with a logo or wordmark, a large package or project name, a brief tagline and a restrained background. Great Docs’ social-card guide recommends simple composition, high contrast and checking the result at small size.
4. No custom image
Still publish useful title and description tags. Great Docs documents a text-oriented summary card when its implementation has no image and a large-image card when one is configured; that is behavior of that implementation, not a universal promise for every platform.
Image dimensions, file size and composition
A practical starting canvas is 1200 × 630 pixels (1.91:1). Great Docs recommends that size, and HubSpot lists the same ratio for Facebook and LinkedIn and for link-post featured images on X. X photo posts can use a 16:9 treatment, so do not confuse that format with an X link preview. These are recommendations, not guarantees against a destination’s crop.
| Destination or guidance | Ratio or limit | How to use the number |
|---|---|---|
| General starting point | 1200 × 630, 1.91:1 | Use for a reusable link-preview master. |
| Facebook (HubSpot guidance) | 1.91:1; maximum 8 MB | Keep the file below the stated limit and expect platform-specific cropping. |
| LinkedIn (HubSpot guidance) | 1.91:1; maximum 10 MB | Validate the actual post preview. |
| X link-post image (HubSpot guidance) | 1.91:1; maximum 5 MB | This differs from X photo-post guidance. |
| X GIF (HubSpot guidance) | Maximum 15 MB | Applies to the cited GIF limit, not every image type. |
| Great Docs recommendation | Below 1 MB, ideally below 300 KB | A performance-oriented target for its documented social-card workflow. |
The limits and validators can change. Check the destination’s current requirements before a major launch. For small feed renderings, use high contrast, a simple focal point and large type. Great Docs suggests checking at 300 × 157 pixels and keeping important content in a central safe area of the 1200 × 630 composition. A logo, short title or single visual subject usually survives better than dense copy.
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Implement cards in a site or CMS
- Generate tags from page data. Your template should output a different title, description, canonical URL and image for each route. Great Docs describes this as tags “generated per-page with the correct title, description, and URL for each page.”
- Put tags in the initial head. Do not depend on a client-side script that runs only after interaction; crawlers may fetch the raw response.
- Use absolute URLs. The page and image should resolve over HTTPS without a login, cookie wall or JavaScript-only redirect.
- Allow the relevant crawlers. Review
robots.txt, firewall rules, authentication and rate limits. HubSpot’s guide includes example user-agent entries for Facebook and X. - Deploy, then inspect the live URL. Verify the HTML returned from production rather than only viewing a local preview.
Why Facebook, LinkedIn and X show different cards
Each destination chooses its own fields, priority rules, image treatment and layout. A 2020 controlled study of 20 popular social platforms documented 14 distinct link-preview layouts; the result is historical evidence, not a current specification for every service. A platform can omit a description, reposition the domain, select a different image crop or apply a small-card treatment even when your metadata is identical.
Use common Open Graph values as the baseline and add destination-specific fields where documented. Compare these aspects when reviewing a preview:
- small summary versus large-image card;
- which title, description and domain fields are visible;
- image ratio, crop and maximum file size;
- whether the card came from shared page metadata or was edited in the post composer;
- the crawler and re-fetch process used by that destination.
Never promise that one tag set produces the same card everywhere.
Preview and debug the live URL
- Inspect the response. View source or fetch the production URL and confirm one correct value for each key tag. Check that the image URL returns an image with a successful response.
- Check crawler access. Ensure
robots.txt, WAF rules, authentication and geographic restrictions do not block the platform’s bot or the image host. - Use destination inspectors. HubSpot lists Facebook’s Sharing Debugger, an X card validator and LinkedIn’s Post Inspector. Great Docs also lists a general Open Graph debugger for multi-platform checks.
- Request a re-fetch where offered. A validator may provide a scrape or refresh action. There is no universal cache duration, so do not assume a fixed number of minutes or hours.
- Compare the fetched values with your source. If the inspector sees old data, check redirects, CDN variants and duplicate tags before changing the design.
Common failures and fixes
Image is missing
Usually the image URL is relative, blocked, non-HTTPS, protected by authentication, returns an error, or is too large for the destination. Replace it with a direct public URL, verify the response and reduce the file within the destination’s current limit.
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Old title or image remains
The platform may have cached an earlier fetch. Confirm the live head first, then run the destination’s inspector and use its re-fetch control if available. Remove duplicate or conflicting tags; the first Open Graph value can win.
Description is absent
Some layouts omit descriptions by design. Ensure og:description and the X description are present, concise and server-rendered, then inspect the actual destination rather than inferring behavior from another platform.
Wrong page appears
Check og:url, canonical redirects and query-string variants. Set one canonical URL and make the metadata consistent across the final response.
Preview works locally but not after publishing
Production may differ in robots rules, firewall policy, DNS, TLS, authentication or image hosting. Test from the public URL and review server logs for crawler requests.
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Operational notes for reliable previews
- Keep metadata generation deterministic so the same URL does not alternate titles or images.
- Use a stable image URL or update its filename when the artwork changes; this makes cache diagnosis easier.
- Compress images while preserving legibility at feed size.
- Validate the most important destinations after template, CDN, redirect or image-host changes.
- Treat platform limits and rendering behavior as volatile and recheck current documentation before a campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need both Open Graph and X tags?
Open Graph is the broad baseline; explicit X card, title, description and image tags let X receive the card type and values you intend. Keeping both avoids relying on undocumented fallback behavior.
Can I force a platform to use a particular crop?
No. You can provide a suitable ratio, safe-area composition and image metadata, but the destination controls its crop and layout.
How long does a preview cache last?
There is no universal refresh interval established for all destinations. Confirm the live HTML and use the destination’s inspector or re-fetch control when available.
What should I do if a page cannot have a custom image?
Publish accurate title and description metadata and verify the resulting text-oriented treatment in the target inspector; image behavior differs by implementation and platform.
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