Open Graph tags checklist for 2026 — what you actually need

Quick frame: Five OG tags are required (og:title, og:description, og:image, og:url, og:type). Image must be 1200×630, absolute URL, under 8 MB. Validate via Facebook Sharing Debugger to force WhatsApp cache refresh. Add explicit width and height to avoid placeholder rendering.

The five required tags

Facebook, LinkedIn and WhatsApp all expect these. Miss any one and the platform either rejects the preview or scrapes page content (often badly).

<meta property="og:title" content="…" />
<meta property="og:description" content="…" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://…/og.png" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://…/page" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />

Use the Open Graph tag generator to build the block, then preview the result on Facebook / LinkedIn with the OG preview.

Strongly recommended additions

• og:site_name — your brand label below the card.
• og:locale — set to en_IN for Indian audiences, hi_IN for Hindi content.
• og:image:width / og:image:height — explicit dimensions prevent layout shift on mobile.
• og:image:alt — accessibility for screen readers reading shared links.

The WhatsApp cache gotcha

WhatsApp caches link previews aggressively — sometimes for weeks. The only reliable refresh is to push the URL through the Facebook Sharing Debugger (developers.facebook.com/tools/debug), which forces a re-scrape that propagates to WhatsApp within 1–4 hours. There is no WhatsApp-specific debugger.

Image specs that win

• 1.91:1 ratio, 1200×630 pixels. Smaller renders fine, but this is the crispest.
• Under 2 MB. Larger files render slowly on mobile feeds.
• PNG or JPG. Avoid SVG; X (Twitter) still doesn't render it.
• Logo or product visible at thumbnail size. Test by viewing the card on a phone.

OG and Canonical alignment

og:url should always equal your canonical URL. Mismatches cause likes and shares to accumulate on different URL variants instead of consolidating on the canonical. Use the canonical tag generator to lock in the canonical, then mirror it in og:url.

FAQ

Q. Do Open Graph tags help SEO rankings? A. No, Google doesn't use OG for ranking. They drive social CTR, which feeds traffic and brand-search signals — those indirectly help rankings.

Q. Can I have multiple og:image tags? A. Yes — Facebook will let users pick from the array. Useful for product pages with multiple angles.

Q. What if I don't have an image at all? A. Some platforms render a plain text card. Engagement drops 50%+ vs cards with images. Even a designed text-only graphic beats no image.