Open Graph share cards use meta tags in a page's head, such as og:title, og:type, og:image and og:url, to control how a link looks when shared on social platforms. Originally created by Facebook, the protocol is now widely supported and turns a plain link into a titled preview with an image.
The Open Graph protocol lets any web page describe itself with a small set of meta tags so that social platforms and messaging apps can generate a rich preview card instead of a bare link. The protocol's own specification requires four properties on every page: og:title for the object's title, og:type for the kind of content, og:image for a representative image URL, and og:url for the canonical URL that should be used as the object's permanent identifier.
Common optional properties extend the description: og:description gives a short one or two sentence summary, og:site_name names the overall site, and og:locale sets language and region. All Open Graph tags follow the same simple pattern in the document head, using a meta element with a property attribute naming the field and a content attribute holding its value.
The protocol was originally created at Facebook, drawing on earlier metadata approaches such as Dublin Core and link rel canonical, and it is now read by most major platforms when generating share previews, even though each platform applies its own final layout and size rules. For a press dispatch, a correctly set og:title, og:description and og:image mean the story looks intentional and credible whenever a journalist or reader shares the link.
How to: 1) Add og:title, og:type, og:image and og:url to every page's head, especially press releases and dispatches. 2) Write og:description as a short, accurate summary distinct from the page's meta description if needed. 3) Use a properly sized, on-brand image for og:image so shared previews look intentional. 4) Set og:site_name once, consistently, across the site. 5) Test how shared links render before a major announcement goes out.
QUESTIONS
What are Open Graph tags used for?
They are meta tags in a page's head that control how a link appears when shared on social media and messaging platforms, generating a preview card with a title, description and image instead of a plain link.
What are the required Open Graph properties?
The specification lists four as required: og:title, og:type, og:image and og:url. Without these, a platform may still generate some preview from other page signals, but the result is less predictable.
Who created the Open Graph protocol?
It was originally created at Facebook, drawing on prior metadata standards including Dublin Core and link rel canonical, and has since become a widely supported format across other platforms as well.
Does Open Graph affect search rankings?
Open Graph tags are primarily about how a link is displayed when shared socially, not a direct search ranking factor. They work alongside, not instead of, structured data and a page's own title and description for search purposes.
SOURCES
Last reviewed