Open Graph Tag Definitions

As part of our series on the Open Graph Protocol, this page includes various Open Graph tag (OGP tag) definitions along with some frequently asked questions.

Refer to the Open Graph Protocol Tutorials Hub for articles and tutorials that focus on this subject.

og:title (60 characters max)

The og:title is an Open Graph meta tag which is used to define the headline or title shown in link previews when a URL to a given webpage is shared on social media platforms and supporting applications — for example WhatsApp supports Open Graph Tags (see also: WhatsApp on Wikipedia).

A URL rendered in Slack with pointers to the og title and Open Graph description tags.
The Open Graph title meta tag.

The following example includes a valid og:title meta property where the content attribute defines the title text:

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					<meta property="og:title" content="Learn more about Open Graph tag definitions now!" />

og:description (200 characters max)

The og:description is an Open Graph Protocol meta tag that defines the descriptive text shown when the URL to a webpage is shared on social media platforms and provides a concise summary of the page content and typically appears below the Open Graph title in link previews.

				
					<meta property="og:description" content="Discover the power of OGP 🏷️" />

The following image includes the og title and og description tags as they appear when a URL is unfurled in the Slack communication and collaboration platform (see also Slack on Wikipedia).

A URL rendered in Slack with pointers to the og title and Open Graph description tags.
The Open Graph description meta tag.

og:image

The og:image tag specifies the image that appears when a page is shared on social media using the Open Graph Protocol.

				
					<meta property="og:image" content="https://thospfuller.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/open-graph-definitions-header-c6a48856c038-wide-sm.png" />

In the following example we can see that the og:image has been included in the preview when the link was unfurled.

Pointer to the Open Graph image (og:image) as the URL is unfurled on X.com.
An example of the Open Graph image (og:image) as the URL is unfurled on X.com.

og:url

The og:url tag is required and defines the preferred URL of a webpage to ensure that the correct link appears when the page is shared on social media and supporting applications.

Below I’ve included an example og url that points to a fictitious post on this website.

				
					<meta property="og:url" content="https://thospfuller.com/.../some-post/" />

An example of the og:url is shown in the page source for this article in the image below.

Webpage source with a pointer to the REQUIRED Open Graph URL (og:url).
The REQUIRED Open Graph URL (og:url).

We can see the Open Graph URL as it appears in an unfurled link that’s been displayed in the WhatsApp messaging application.

A pointer to the OG URL in the WhatsApp messaging application.
The OG URL in an unfurled link presented in the WhatsApp Messenger.

See Also

  1. Learn how to use open graph tags on your website here!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the Open Graph Protocol?

The Open Graph Protocol (OGP) is a set of meta tags (e.g., og:title, og:image, og:description) that standardizes how web content appears when shared on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Open Graph Protocol meta tags enhance off-page SEO by creating professional, clickable previews thereby boosting engagement and shareability.

What is ogp.me?

OGP.me is a reference website for the Open Graph Protocol (OGP), which was created by Facebook, to integrate web pages into social media. OGP.me guides developers and website administrators on OGP tags and properties, aiding in the process of optimizing web content for social media sharing.

What is OGP?

The Open Graph Protocol (OGP), is a specification that was created by Facebook in order to facilitate better integration of webpages with social media websites and other applications.

Link unfurling involves the automatic expansion of a hyperlink in a social media post, chat application, or web platform to display a preview of the linked content, including a thumbnail image, title, and brief description.

Link unfurling enhances user experience (UX) by providing context and a visual glimpse of the link’s content without requiring a click-through, and is achieved by the platform extracting details from specific Open Graph meta tags on the webpage.

Link unfurling is particularly useful in social media and messaging apps for engaging users and making shared content more appealing and informative.

Why use the Open Graph Protocol?

The Open Graph Protocol is important for controlling how content appears when shared on social media, as it dictates the display of titles (og:title), descriptions (og:description), and images (og:image), thereby ensuring consistency and attractiveness across platforms.

The control that Open Graph meta tags provides leads to enhanced engagement and potentially higher click-through rates, and well-crafted social media previews that are more likely to attract user interaction.

What are OGP Tags?

Open Graph Protocol Meta Tags help to control how content appears on social media platforms and applications that support the specification.

Is Open Graph and alt text the same​ thing?

No, Open Graph and alt text are not the same thing.

Open Graph Protocol tags help control how webpage links appear when shared on social media platforms and define meta data such as the webpage title (og:title), description (og:description), and image (og:image) which acts as a preview of the content that will be found on the URL.

Alt text (alternative text), on the other hand, helps describe images for screen readers thereby improving accessibility.