07, Oct 2025
What Are Open Graph Tags? A Guide to Better SEO and Social Sharing
If you are wondering how to make your content more noticeable, clickworthy, and shareable on social media, then the open graph tags are the right path to follow for you. Only sharing content on social media is not enough to get the maximum benefit out of it.
If you have ever shared something on a social media platform. For instance, on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. You must have witnessed that some links appear with a short description, a preview image, and a headline, while others look plain. Here, the difference lies in using the strategy of OG tags.
This blog will cover all the necessary information that you should know about Open Graph tags, therefore you can enhance your social media presence. Let's get started!
What are Open Graph Tags?
Open Graph tags refer to the small pieces of HTML code that control the display of your content on social media. These tags were initially only used by Facebook, but are now used by LinkedIn and Twitter as well. However, Twitter also uses Twitter cards, but they use Open Graph tags only when a Twitter card is not used.
For example, open tags will control the description, preview image, and title of your shared content. That will help you in attaining increased engagement of the users, visibility, and potential backlinks. The tags are placed within the <head> section of the HTML document and are used by social media platforms to render a strong preview when the link is shared.
Open graph tags are part of technical SEO. Though these tags don't directly impact your search engine rankings, they indirectly influence SEO by increasing social sharing and potential for backlinks. OG tags are a universally accepted strategy, and every business or organisation should access them for better social media outcomes. So, now, along with considering other SEO services to get a better online presence, you should also focus on Open Graph tags to get ahead in this digital landscape.
Why are Open Graph Tags Important?
OG tags should not be overlooked as they play a crucial role in all the highly competitive social media platforms. They can make your content more professional and authentic when shared online. It is a simple and effective strategy compared to other SEO services. On the other hand, if it is not followed, it can lead to lower click-through rates and decreased brand consistency. Here are the benefits of open graph tags in today's social media-centered world:
a) Command Over Social Sharing
If OG tags aren't used, social media platforms will generate their own previews for your brand, and it is highly possible that they will not be that visually engaging and will not be an accurate representation of your brand's identity. So, it is always preferred to use your Open Graph tags to take control of your social sharing on social media platforms. If you are hesitant to hire your in-house team for this job, you can contact any trusted and experienced digital marketing company. They will take the responsibility of your social media presence on their shoulders while you focus on your core business activities.
b) Higher Click-through Rates
A brand-specific and informative preview can build trust for your brand. With open graph tags, you can grab attention from the targeted traffic and achieve higher click-through rates. If the preview image, description, and title are strategically framed, more users will click on the link and explore your products and services. Potentially, improving your brand trust and customer engagement.
c) Impact on brand consistency
If you take control of your previews in your hands, then you can maintain consistency of your brand image across all social media platforms. You can use a similar description, image, title, and other tags. Open graph tags will ultimately enhance your brand recognition and establish your unique brand identity among users. This will encourage a cohesive brand image and prevent inconsistent or irrelevant previews that can tarnish your brand’s reputation.
d) Increase conversions
Open graph tags improve your brand’s image in social media platforms and certainly increase traffic to your website. They give you control to make your website more fascinating and informative. When more customers come to your website, they will ultimately explore the site, and this will result in more leads and eventually more conversions.
e) Earn Quality Backlinks
With OG tags, you can significantly increase your social media reach, which will ultimately gain you backlinks from other websites. This will result in making your brand visible to even more customers. By making content more engaging and shareable, Open Graph tags increase the possibility of getting it discovered by others and gaining links from them.
f) Positive Impact on SEO
OG tags are considered to be a part of technical SEO. OG tags are not a direct ranking factor for SEO, but they can certainly indirectly improve your SEO ranking by increasing click-through rates and reducing bounce rates, signaling to search engines that your content is relevant. Increased social media activity and engagement will affect the brand's visibility and improve its SEO ranking in the long run. You can contact any trusted company around you to get access to effective SEO services for enhancing your brand visibility in search engines.
Types of Open Graph Tags
Are you confused about which Open Graph tag you should use and which not to use? You don't need to include dozens of tags to get the desired results; only the required ones are enough to make the desired impact. Here are the required OG tags that are most useful for any startup, business or organisation:
a) og:title
This defines the headline of your page. It should be eye-catching and clear. There are no official guidelines for this, but to be on the safer side and avoid truncation, use 40 words for mobile and 60 words for desktop.
b) og:description
This refers to a description that briefly introduces your content, and it appears below the title tag. It should connect with the title and make it engaging for the readers to go further and click on the link. Keep it short and clear, ideally under 120 characters, 1-2 sentences. Make sure not to exceed 200 characters.
c) og:image
This defines the image that is displayedon the thumbnail when the content is shared. This is most important among all open graph tags, as images can be the most attractive factor for any user. The recommended size is 1200 X 630 pixels, and the minimum size is 200 X 200 pixels. Use images with a 1.91:1 ratio and ensure the clarity of the image across all devices.
d) og:url
This refers to the URL of the page; it is the content’s permanent ID. This ensures consistent tracking and helps in avoiding duplicate content. Use the URLs that are simple and use canonical URLs. A canonical URL consolidates metrics and metadata across all posts that are shared with the same URL.
e) Og:type
This refers to the object type of your content. For instance, if it is a website, video, music, article, or more. If you don't specify the type, then the default is “website”. This tag helps in displaying content more appropriately, enhancing the user experience.
f) og:locale
This Open Graph tag defines the language of the content. This should be used when the content is not written in American English (en_US). This ensures the proper understanding of your content for multilingual sites.
g) og:video
This tag specifies the video that is associated with your content. For instance, if you want to display a YouTube video on any social media platform, you can use this tag.
h) og:site_name
This tag defines the name of your site. It indicates that the content is part of a larger website and helps in maintaining brand consistency on different platforms.
Final Thoughts
Open graph tags are a simple yet strong tool in SEO services, but they are sidelined by many businesses. Every business should opt for the OG tags as they are simple and less time-consuming, and lead to greater impact on your brand visibility and customer reach. These are meta tags used to enrich and structure the way your website appears on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. You need to get yourself habituated to including these tags in your larger SEO strategy.
While using these OG tags, you need to keep in mind to use essential tags like og:description, og:title, og:image, og:url and og:type. You can also use other tags that are listed above, but don't miss out on the essential ones. These OG tags make your website more shareworthy, clickworthy, and user-friendly. You can certainly reach out to any reputable digital marketing company to get access to Open Graph tag services to enhance your user engagement and a stronger online presence.
Table of Contents
What are Open Graph Tags?
Why are Open Graph Tags Important?
Types of Open Graph Tags
a) og:title
b) og:description
c) og:image
d) og:url
e) Og:type
f) og:locale
g) og:video
h) og:site_name
Final Thoughts
Latest Blogs
10 Best Web Scraping Tools to Consider in 2025
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Shopify
10 Image SEO Tips for Better Image Optimization
How to Optimize Your Content for Featured Snippets
Google Ads vs. LinkedIn Ads: Which is Better for Commercial Targeting?
Categories
Related Blogs
17, Sep 2025
How to Optimize Your Content for Featured Snippets
10, Sep 2024
SEO For Cryptocurrency and Blockchain
10, Sep 2024
Google Rolls Out August Core Update 2024
08, May 2024
How to Use Google Trends for SEO
25, Apr 2024
6 Best Backlink Checker Tools (Paid or Free)
24, Apr 2024
What is a PBN? A Complete Guide About Private Blog Network
06, Mar 2024
Black Hat SEO Techniques: Everything You Need to Know
07, Nov 2023
Top 5 Reasons Why SEO Is Important for Your Business
23, Feb 2023
