1. Enter URL: Paste the link you want to inspect.
2. Analyze: See all meta tags, Open Graph data, and Twitter Card info.
3. Preview: View how it appears on different platforms.
4. Fix issues: Get specific recommendations for missing or broken tags.
5. Validate: Re-check after making changes to your page.

Why link previews matter

• Higher CTR: Rich previews with images get 2-3x more clicks than plain links.
• Professional appearance: Proper previews build trust and credibility.
• Brand control: Choose exactly what image, title, and description appear.
• Platform optimization: Different networks use different meta tags.
• Debug quickly: Find and fix preview issues before they hurt engagement.

What gets inspected

Open Graph (Facebook, LinkedIn)

• og:title — Headline that appears in the preview
• og:description — Text snippet below the title
• og:image — Preview image (recommended: 1200×630px)
• og:url — Canonical URL of the page
• og:type — Content type (website, article, video, etc.)
• og:site_name — Your website or brand name

Twitter Cards

• twitter:card — Card type (summary, summary_large_image, player)
• twitter:title — Title for Twitter (can differ from OG)
• twitter:description — Description for Twitter
• twitter:image — Image for Twitter (recommended: 1200×675px)
• twitter:site — Your Twitter handle (@username)
• twitter:creator — Author's Twitter handle

Standard meta tags

• <title> — Page title (fallback if OG missing)
• <meta name="description"> — Meta description (fallback)
• <link rel="canonical"> — Preferred URL
• <meta name="robots"> — Indexing directives

Common issues detected

Missing image: No og:image or twitter:image tag found.

• Impact: Link shows as text-only, much lower engagement
• Fix: Add proper image tags with absolute URLs

Image too small: Image dimensions below platform minimums.

• Impact: Blurry or rejected previews
• Fix: Use at least 1200×630px for best results

Missing description: No og:description or falls back to generic text.

• Impact: Less compelling preview, lower CTR
• Fix: Write engaging 150-200 character descriptions

Broken image URL: Image path is relative or returns 404.

• Impact: No image shows in preview
• Fix: Use absolute URLs (https://...) and verify they load

Title too long: Exceeds platform character limits.

• Impact: Gets truncated with "..."
• Fix: Keep titles under 60 characters

Wrong card type: Using summary when summary_large_image would be better.

• Impact: Smaller, less engaging preview
• Fix: Use large image cards for visual content

Platform-specific requirements

Facebook & LinkedIn

• Image size: 1200×630px (1.91:1 ratio)
• Min size: 600×315px
• Max size: 8MB
• Format: JPG or PNG
• Title: 60-90 characters
• Description: 150-200 characters

Twitter

• Summary card: 1:1 ratio (300×300px min)
• Large image: 2:1 ratio (1200×675px recommended)
• Max size: 5MB
• Format: JPG, PNG, WEBP, GIF
• Title: 70 characters max
• Description: 200 characters max

WhatsApp & Telegram

• Use Open Graph tags (same as Facebook)
• Image: 300×300px minimum
• Prefer square images for better display

Best practices

Image optimization

• Use high-quality images: Sharp, professional photos or graphics
• Include text sparingly: Large, readable fonts only
• Test on mobile: Most shares happen on phones
• Avoid small details: They disappear in thumbnails
• Brand consistently: Use recognizable colors and style

Writing effective previews

• Hook immediately: First few words matter most
• Be specific: "10 Tips for..." beats "Some Advice About..."
• Include benefits: Tell people what they'll get
• Match the content: Don't clickbait — deliver what you promise
• Use active voice: "Learn how to..." not "How to... can be learned"

Technical tips

• Use absolute URLs: Always include https://domain.com/...
• Validate HTML: Broken HTML can break meta tag parsing
• Check encoding: Use UTF-8 to avoid character issues
• Update cache: Platforms cache previews — use their debuggers to refresh
• Test before launch: Check previews before sharing widely

Debugging tools by platform

After fixing your tags, validate with official tools:

• Facebook: facebook.com/sharing/debugger
• Twitter: cards-validator.twitter.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/post-inspector
• Pinterest: developers.pinterest.com/tools/url-debugger

These tools also clear cached previews.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Relative image paths: Use https://example.com/image.jpg not /image.jpg
• Missing protocol: Include https:// in all URLs
• Wrong dimensions: Don't use square images for 16:9 cards
• Duplicate tags: Multiple og:image tags can confuse parsers
• Dynamic content: Ensure meta tags render server-side, not client-side
• Redirects: Platforms may not follow redirects properly

How platforms cache previews

Social networks cache link previews to improve performance:

• Facebook: Caches for days/weeks — use debugger to refresh
• Twitter: Caches for ~7 days — use validator to clear
• LinkedIn: Caches aggressively — use post inspector
• WhatsApp: Caches indefinitely — hard to refresh

Pro tip: Change the image filename or add a query parameter (?v=2) to force a new preview.

SEO benefits

Good Open Graph tags don't just help social media:

• Search appearance: Google may use OG tags in search results
• Click-through rate: Better previews = more clicks from search
• Brand recognition: Consistent previews build trust
• Analytics: Track social referrals more accurately

Implementation checklist

✅ Add og:title, og:description, og:image, og:url
✅ Add twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:description, twitter:image
✅ Use absolute URLs for all images
✅ Optimize images to 1200×630px
✅ Keep titles under 60 characters
✅ Write compelling 150-200 character descriptions
✅ Test with platform-specific validators
✅ Check on mobile devices
✅ Verify images load quickly
✅ Update when content changes

Final thoughts

Link previews are your first impression on social media. A broken or missing preview can tank engagement, while a great one drives clicks and shares. Link Preview Inspector helps you catch issues early, optimize for each platform, and ensure every link you share looks professional and compelling.