It is a moment of relief when you finish up a blog post you are proud of and have found a perfect feature image that goes with it. Now, all you need to do is share your work with your network on your socials, sit back, and enjoy the engagement that ensues.
But wait, there’s this one problem that always halts you in your steps.
That amazing feature image that you attached to your blog? It is not being pulled up by the social media networks, and instead, all your audience sees is a repelling gray placeholder for a thumbnail.
Facebook noticed that little hitch soon enough and came up with a solution called Open Graph Image. What is it, how to use it, and is there a need to use it?
Let’s get some answers:
What Happens If There’s No Image on The Social Media Post?
Learning about Open Graph Image might seem like too much trouble to go through, just to put up an image on a social media post. So, what if we just skip past it and post the blog whether the feature image shows up or not?
If you do that, your blog will fail to achieve its primary goal – to reach the audience. The sole purpose of putting content on social media is to share it with others. If your audience is one or two people, then a no-show image might not be a problem. On the other hand, if you reach out to a larger network, a lack of preview images on the social media post will decrease your web traffic and conversions.
A random gray banner is unattractive and disconnecting, and the internet users are most likely to scroll past it and then stop and click. Contrarily, Tweets containing images receive 18% more clicks and 150% higher retweets than those without images. Facebook posts that have images get over 3.2x higher engagement than the posts without images.
Lack of image leads to lack of engagement, which is why Open Graph Image is an essential tool for marketers to generate more likes, shares, comments, etc.
What Is an Open Graph Image?
Whenever you share a link (of a webpage or video) on a social media platform, an accompanying image shows up on the post without you doing anything. This associated image is called Open Graph Image, and it appears there because the web developers have diligently used a design method called open graph protocol.
This protocol turns images into objects that are easy for social media to pull and display on their posts. As a publisher, you can take full advantage of this protocol to control how your content appears online.
What Is an Open Graph Protocol?
In 2010, Facebook created an internet protocol, called an open graph protocol, as a standardized method for social media posts to display images extracted from within the web pages.
The protocol enabled the social networks not only to extract images but also the exact title, URL, and meta information from the webpages to be displayed on the social media posts.
In addition to providing a solution to the initial problem, the protocol became a gateway to various possibilities. With open graph protocol, web developers and publishers got complete control over how their posts should appear on the social media network. From the size of the image to the duration of a video, everything became controllable.
The protocol was a quick success and was soon adopted by X, LinkedIn, and other social networks with their variations, to make their posts more engaging and their platform more effective.
Using Open Graph Protocol to Make your Posts Stand Out
Open Graph protocol is great feature for publishers, as it allows them to get creative and innovative with the posts and make them stand out in a way that the network connections have no choice but to click – if the content is good – and share.
When your network is just surfing through the internet, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention. For that, you can use the open graph protocol to display the most captivating images, which will provide visual context to your content and convey to the readers what the post is about in just a few seconds.
You can do the same for titles, videos, and any other medium that will draw your target audience towards your post. In theory, that sounds amazing, but to use open graph protocols as a marketing strategy, you need to understand how it works in practice. It is all achieved through open graph tags or OG tags.
You can easily test if your site’s Open Graph tags are working using an online tool like Social Media Share Preview or the Facebook debugger.
What are Open Graph Protocol Tags?
OG tags allow the developers and publishers to specify which attributes from the websites they want to display on the social media posts.
The developers add OG tags to their web page’s HTML to achieve this. These tags are like directions and guidance, telling the social media page, the specific title they need to be displayed, the video that needs to play, how long it needs to play, etc.
Basic Tags to Include in Open Graph Protocol
You can go as detailed as you want with OG tags. The possibilities are limitless. However, there are a few basic OG meta tags to allow the social media platforms to extract relevant and associative details from the web page into the post.
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/your-social-image.jpg">The basic open graph meta tags include:
Og: title
This tag allows the developers to choose the title of the article or webpage they want to display on the social media post. This could be very similar to the meta title. Learning how to write a great meta title can go a long way in terms of click through rates.
OG: Description
Similar to a meta description the og:image tag allows developers to give a description of their page for sharing data. This is very similar to a meta description.
Og: type
This tag allows you to specify the type of content you are posting, such as an article, blog, video, etc.
Og: image
This is where you attach the URL of the image you want to display on the post and represent your content accurately. A good quality, high-resolution image is recommended.
Og: URL
This is the URL of the actual page where you want to redirect the user once they click.
Frequently Asked Questions about Open Graph Images
What are Open Graph Images?
Open Graph Images are images that are specifically designed for social media platforms, such as Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, to enhance the visual representation of your website or content when shared on these platforms.
Why do I need Open Graph Images?
Open Graph Images play a crucial role in grabbing the attention of your audience when your content is shared on social media. They help create a visually appealing and engaging preview of your content, increasing the chances of your content being clicked and shared.
How do Open Graph Images work?
When a link to your website or content is shared on social media, platforms like Facebook automatically fetch relevant information, including the Open Graph Image. This image is then displayed alongside the link, providing a visual preview that can entice users to click on it.
How do I create Open Graph Images?
To create Open Graph Images, you can use graphic design tools like Photoshop, Canva, or online image generators that specifically cater to generating social media images. These tools allow you to customize the dimensions, add text, and incorporate visuals that align with your brand or content. You can also use MightyShare with WordPress to automatically generate social share images.
What is the recommended size for Open Graph Images?
The recommended size for Open Graph Images is 1200 pixels wide by 630 pixels tall. This aspect ratio ensures that the image is displayed properly across different social media platforms.
Can I use any image as an Open Graph Image?
While you can use any image as an Open Graph Image, it’s important to choose an image that is visually appealing, relevant to your content, and representative of your brand. Images with clear focus, vibrant colors, and minimal text tend to perform better on social media.
How can I optimize my Open Graph Images for better performance?
To optimize your Open Graph Images, make sure they are visually striking, relevant to the content being shared, and attention-grabbing. Use high-quality images, appealing colors, and consider adding overlays or text that highlight the key message or value of your content.
Are Open Graph Images necessary for all types of content?
Open Graph Images are particularly useful for content that you want to promote or share on social media platforms. While they are not mandatory, using Open Graph Images can significantly improve the visibility and engagement of your content on social media.
Can I use different Open Graph Images for different pages on my website?
Yes, you can use different Open Graph Images for different pages on your website. This allows you to tailor the visual representation of each page, making it more appealing and relevant to the specific content being shared.
How do I add Open Graph Images to my website?
To add Open Graph Images to your website, you need to include specific metadata tags in the HTML code of your web pages. These tags provide information about the image, such as its URL, dimensions, and alt text, enabling social media platforms to display the correct image when your content is shared.
Can I update or change my Open Graph Images later?
Yes, you can update or change your Open Graph Images at any time. Simply modify the metadata tags in the HTML code of your web pages to point to the new image you want to use. Social media platforms will then fetch and display the updated image when your content is shared.
Final Thoughts
What convinces the audience to click on your post is a combination of strategy and design; the blog title must be engaging, the topic must be trendy, and the preview image has to be eye-catching. Open Graph Image and Open Graph Protocol allow you to achieve this and more.