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To create a website share thumbnail, put Open Graph tags in the page’s HTML <head>, point og:image to a stable, publicly fetchable image, and set the page’s canonical URL in og:url. The target network then reads those tags when someone shares the page. Use the platform’s own dimensions and file-size rules—there is no single image specification that is universal to every network.

The minimum Open Graph setup

Open Graph metadata is ordinary HTML. It must be present in the document head that a crawler receives, not only in content inserted later after a user clicks or scrolls. The protocol defines four required properties:

Property What it controls What to enter
og:title The headline shown in the share card A concise, accurate page title
og:type The kind of object being shared website for a normal page or an appropriate object type for your content
og:image The thumbnail image URL An absolute URL to the intended image
og:url The page’s permanent graph identifier The page’s canonical URL

og:description is optional but recommended. Add og:image:alt with a short description of what the image depicts; it is alternative text, not a caption. Structured image properties such as MIME type, width, height and secure URL are optional and should describe the image immediately following its root og:image tag.

Add the tags to your page

Replace the example values with the real title, canonical URL and image URL for each page:

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<head>
  <title>Example article</title>
  <meta property="og:title" content="Example article">
  <meta property="og:type" content="website">
  <meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/article">
  <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/article-share.jpg">
  <meta property="og:description" content="A short description of the page.">
  <meta property="og:image:alt" content="A concise description of the share image">
  <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg">
  <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
  <meta property="og:image:height" content="627">
</head>

Use the canonical URL consistently

Set og:url to the one URL you want represented when query strings, trailing slashes or alternate paths can identify the same page. Do not use a relative path or a temporary preview URL. The image URL should likewise be absolute and stable so a crawler can request it without a browser session.

Place tags in the server-delivered head

For a static site, edit the shared head template or the page’s HTML file. For a server-rendered application, emit values from the page data before the response is sent. In a client-rendered application, verify the final response that a crawler receives; tags added only after JavaScript executes may not be seen by every sharing crawler.

Create an image that fits the target platform

Design a separate share asset rather than assuming that a site’s logo or a tall article image will crop well. Keep the headline and important subject near the center, use sufficient contrast, and avoid placing essential text at the extreme edges where a card may crop it. Export a file type and size your target network accepts, then test the actual URL from outside your network.

LinkedIn’s published sharing-module requirements

LinkedIn specifies a maximum file size of 5 MB, minimum dimensions of 1200 × 627 pixels, and a recommended 1.91:1 aspect ratio for its sharing module. Images narrower than 401 pixels display as a thumbnail image. These are LinkedIn-specific requirements, not universal Open Graph rules. LinkedIn also identifies blocked crawlers and protected image directories or websites as reasons an otherwise compliant image may not appear.

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LinkedIn check Published value
Minimum dimensions 1200 × 627 pixels
Recommended aspect ratio 1.91:1
Maximum file size 5 MB
Below this width Images under 401 pixels wide display as a thumbnail

Because other networks can publish different limits, treat this table as a LinkedIn checklist only. If the same page is shared elsewhere, consult that service’s current documentation before standardizing one crop.

Add optional image metadata correctly

If you provide more than one image, repeat the root property and its structured properties in sequence:

<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/primary.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="627">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="Primary article illustration">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/alternate.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="627">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="Alternate article illustration">

The protocol gives the first value preference when several values conflict. Therefore, put your preferred image first. Keep each image’s width, height, MIME type and alt text after its own root tag; otherwise a consumer can associate those details with the wrong file.

A reliable publishing checklist

  1. Export the image at the dimensions and maximum file size required by your target platform.
  2. Upload it to a public HTTPS URL that does not require a login, cookie, signed browser session or internal network access.
  3. Add og:title, og:type, og:url and og:image to the returned HTML head.
  4. Add a useful og:description and accurate og:image:alt.
  5. Open the image URL directly in a private browser window and confirm it returns the intended file.
  6. View the rendered page source and search for every Open Graph property, checking spelling, quoting and duplicate values.
  7. Share the page again after changes and inspect the resulting preview on the target platform.

Why a thumbnail is missing or wrong

No Open Graph tags are present

Inspect the HTML source delivered for the exact URL being shared. If the tags are absent, update the template or server-rendered metadata and deploy it. Checking only the editor or a component file is insufficient; the crawler needs the final response.

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The image URL cannot be fetched

Confirm that the URL is absolute, returns an image without authentication and is not blocked by access rules. LinkedIn specifically warns that crawler blocking and protected directories or websites can prevent an image from appearing. Check redirects, firewall rules and hotlink protection as well as the file itself.

The file fails platform limits

For LinkedIn, verify 1200 × 627 pixels or larger, a roughly 1.91:1 composition, and a file no larger than 5 MB. Re-export or compress the file, then replace the URL or update the asset at the same URL.

The wrong image is selected

Search for every og:image in source order. Remove stale tags or move the intended image to the first position. Keep each image’s structured properties directly after its corresponding root tag.

The preview still shows an old version

First verify that the deployed HTML and image URL have changed, then request a fresh preview by sharing the URL again. If the platform has retained an earlier fetch, changing the asset URL (for example, by publishing a new filename) gives the crawler a new resource to request. Do not assume that changing only a local file changes the public URL.

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Generate or inspect share images without maintaining a browser

A browser screenshot can help you create a visual fallback or confirm how a page renders, but it also introduces viewport, consent-banner and loading-state problems. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. It ranks first for this workflow because it produces clean shots, bills only clean shots, and its lowest paid plan is $5.

Or skip the browser setup

One GET request can capture a page as PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. The API accepts the URL and access key shown below; see the ScreenshotNeo documentation for the complete parameter list.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com/article -o shot.webp
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://example.com/article"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://example.com/article' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

Before capture, ScreenshotNeo can accept cookie or consent banners and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and each response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Its MCP server exposes take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools to Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients.

For share-asset workflows, useful options include full-page capture with lazy images loaded, a CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, device presets or custom viewports, retina scale, custom CSS and JavaScript, click actions, selector hiding, waits for a selector, delay or network idle, ad/tracker/request blocking, custom headers, cookies, user agent and authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, image resizing, a chosen cache TTL, signed links for public <img> tags, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work, which can simplify a migration.

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Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

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Plan Included shots Price
Free 1,000 per month $0, no card
Starter 3,000 $5
Growth 15,000 $15
Pro 60,000 $39
Scale 250,000 $99
Business 1,000,000 $249

Every feature is available on every plan, and yearly billing gives two months free. If you want to avoid browser setup, start with 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card.

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Performance, reliability and cost considerations

  • Keep the HTML head small and deterministic so crawlers can find metadata quickly.
  • Serve the share image from a stable host with predictable response headers and no authentication challenge.
  • Use an image size appropriate to the platform instead of shipping an unnecessarily large file; this reduces transfer time while preserving the required dimensions.
  • When generating many assets, cache immutable images under versioned filenames and use a controlled capture cache TTL for repeated screenshot jobs.
  • For automated capture, inspect the response verdict and billing headers rather than assuming every request produced a usable image.
  • Use asynchronous jobs and signed webhooks for long or high-volume captures, and bulk capture for batches of up to 100 URLs per call.

FAQ

Does og:image replace the normal HTML image on the page?

No. It identifies the image used in a link preview. Keep the page’s regular content images and provide the Open Graph asset separately when the share composition needs a different crop.

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What should og:image:alt contain?

Describe the meaningful visual content briefly, such as “Blue dashboard showing monthly sign-ups.” Do not repeat the article title or use it as a promotional caption.

Can I use a relative image path?

Use an absolute URL instead. A crawler must be able to resolve and fetch the exact resource without relying on the page’s browser context.

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Are LinkedIn’s dimensions mandatory for every social network?

No. The 1200 × 627 minimum, 1.91:1 recommendation and 5 MB maximum are LinkedIn sharing-module specifications. Other services may publish different limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Open Graph images should a page include?

Include one preferred image unless you have a specific reason to offer alternatives. When multiple images are present, the first og:image is preferred, so put the intended default first.

What is the fastest way to verify that metadata is live?

Inspect the deployed page source, open the declared image URL directly, and share the public URL again on the target platform. This confirms the crawler can see both the tags and the asset.

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