To find the tags that may control a shared link’s title, description, and image, open the exact page’s HTML source and inspect its <head>. Search for og:, then check the Open Graph properties and any relevant Twitter Card tags. If the tags are absent from source, inspect the rendered DOM; JavaScript may add them after the initial HTML loads.
Inspect the HTML source for Open Graph tags
- Open the exact URL you plan to share, rather than the site’s homepage.
- Open View Source. Common shortcuts are Ctrl+U on Windows or Linux and Cmd+Option+U on macOS, though browser menus and shortcuts can vary.
- Find the document’s
<head>and search forog:. Open Graph metadata is represented by<meta>elements in the head. - Read each tag’s
propertyandcontentvalues. For example,<meta property="og:title" content="Example title">sets a candidate title value.
The Open Graph Protocol identifies four required properties for every page:
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og:title: the page title.og:type: the kind of object represented.og:image: the image URL.og:url: the canonical URL for the object.
The protocol also lists og:description as optional and generally recommended. Check og:site_name when the site name matters to the card.
Check image details and Twitter Card metadata
Open Graph image fields
Inspect the value of og:image and confirm that it points to the intended image. If provided, related properties can describe the image’s width, height, MIME type, HTTPS alternative, and alternative text. The protocol says an image should have og:image:alt. Also check that the image URL is reachable by the service that will fetch the preview; a tag can be present while its image is inaccessible.
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A 1200×630 image is sometimes recommended by checker guidance, but that is not a universal Open Graph requirement. Follow the target platform’s current image guidance when choosing dimensions.
Twitter Card fields
Search separately for tags such as twitter:card. Open Graph and Twitter Card fields can appear together, but do not assume every network reads the same fields or applies the same fallback rules. A tag inspection confirms what the page declares; it does not guarantee that every platform will display identical content.
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When source and the visible page disagree
View Source shows the HTML delivered initially. It is not the same as the browser’s rendered DOM: a site may add or change metadata with JavaScript after loading. If the tags you expect are missing from source, open the browser’s developer tools, select the Elements or Inspector panel, and inspect the rendered document’s <head>. Compare the resulting values with the original source.
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If the rendered DOM contains the correct tags but a share still shows old or different information, test the URL with the relevant platform’s own inspection tool. For LinkedIn, the Post Inspector is documented as a refresh option; refresh behavior and caching are platform-specific. A preview tool is useful for checking what a particular platform fetches and renders, but it is not a substitute for verifying the page markup.
Choose the inspection method that matches the problem
| Method | Best for | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| View Source | Checking metadata delivered in the initial HTML. | Does not show metadata inserted later by JavaScript. |
| Rendered DOM in developer tools | Finding tags added or changed after the page loads. | Shows the browser’s DOM; a social platform may fetch or render the page differently. |
| Platform inspection or preview tool | Checking a platform’s interpretation or refreshing a stale preview. | Platform behavior and cache controls differ. |
| Pasted HTML in a checker | Inspecting markup when an automated URL fetch is blocked or unavailable. | Cannot independently establish what the live URL serves or how a platform renders it. |
Troubleshoot a wrong social card
- Tags are missing in View Source: check the rendered DOM to see whether the site injects them with JavaScript. If neither contains the intended tags, update the page’s head output.
- The title or description is wrong: compare the exact page’s
og:titleandog:descriptioncontent values with the text you expect to share. - The image is wrong or absent: verify
og:imagepoints to the intended asset, inspect any structured image properties, and make sure the audience-facing service can fetch the image URL. - Markup looks correct but the preview is old: use the relevant platform’s inspection or refresh tool where available. Cached previews and refresh behavior are platform-specific.
- A checker cannot fetch the page: use View Source or the rendered DOM in your browser, or inspect pasted HTML if the checker supports it. A failed checker fetch does not by itself prove the page lacks metadata.
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ScreenshotNeo can capture a page with one GET request; it returns a screenshot or PDF, not a metadata report, so use it when you also need a visual record of the page. Cookie banners are accepted and removed before capture, along with known newsletter popups and chat widgets. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 shots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
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