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The No-Fluff Guide to OpenGraph Images That Actually Work ๐ŸŽฏ

Hey there! ๐Ÿ‘‹ Let's dive into the technical stuff. No fluff, just practical knowledge you can use today.

What We'll Cover ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ

  • Core OpenGraph specs that actually matter
  • Platform-specific requirements
  • Implementation patterns that work
  • Testing & validation approaches
  • Common gotchas and fixes

The Core Specs You Need ๐Ÿ“‹

Let's start with the essentials. Here's what you actually need (I've tested these across platforms):

<!-- Essential Meta Tags -->
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Title Here">
<meta property="og:description" content="Your Description">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://your-domain.com/og-image.png">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://your-domain.com/page">
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Image Specifications That Work Everywhere ๐ŸŽจ

After testing across platforms, here are the optimal specs:

Dimensions: 1200x630px (Ratio 1.91:1)
Format: PNG or JPEG
Max file size: 8MB
Min file size: 10KB
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Pro tip: If you're targeting multiple platforms, 1200x630px is your sweet spot. It works well everywhere and doesn't get cropped weirdly.

Platform-Specific Requirements ๐ŸŽฏ

Let's break it down by platform (updated for 2024):

Twitter

<!-- Twitter-specific -->
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@yourusername">
<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@yourusername">

<!-- These will fallback to og: tags if not specified -->
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Your Title">
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Your Description">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://your-domain.com/og-image.png">
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Key points:

  • Images are displayed at 800x418px
  • Keep important content in the center
  • Text remains readable at smaller sizes

LinkedIn

<!-- LinkedIn optimization -->
<meta property="og:type" content="article">
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Professional Title">
<meta property="article:published_time" content="2024-11-19T08:00:00+00:00">
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Notes:

  • Aggressive image caching
  • May take hours to update
  • Use LinkedIn's Post Inspector for faster updates

Facebook

<!-- Facebook optimization -->
<meta property="fb:app_id" content="your_app_id">
<meta property="og:type" content="website">
<meta property="og:locale" content="en_US">
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Tips:

  • Use Facebook's Sharing Debugger
  • Force cache refresh with ?v=[timestamp]
  • Test mobile rendering specifically

Implementation Patterns ๐Ÿ’ก

Here are three approaches, from simple to advanced:

1. Static Images

// Next.js example
export const metadata = {
  openGraph: {
    title: 'Your Title',
    description: 'Your Description',
    images: [{
      url: 'https://your-domain.com/og-image.png',
      width: 1200,
      height: 630,
      alt: 'Image description',
    }],
  },
}
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2. Dynamic Generation with @vercel/og

// pages/api/og.tsx
import { ImageResponse } from '@vercel/og'

export const config = {
  runtime: 'edge',
}

export default async function handler(request: Request) {
  try {
    const { searchParams } = new URL(request.url)

    // Get dynamic parameters
    const title = searchParams.get('title') ?? 'Default Title'

    return new ImageResponse(
      (
        <div
          style={{
            width: '100%',
            height: '100%',
            display: 'flex',
            alignItems: 'center',
            justifyContent: 'center',
            fontSize: 128,
            background: 'white',
          }}
        >
          {title}
        </div>
      ),
      {
        width: 1200,
        height: 630,
      },
    )
  } catch (e) {
    return new Response('Failed to generate image', { status: 500 })
  }
}
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3. Template-based System (What we use at gleam.so)

interface OGTemplate {
  id: string;
  layout: TemplateLayout;
  dimensions: ImageDimensions;
  elements: TemplateElement[];
}

const generateOG = async (template: OGTemplate, data: TemplateData) => {
  // Render template with data
  // Cache result
  // Return optimized image URL
}
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Testing & Validation ๐Ÿงช

Here's a testing checklist I use:

const ogChecklist = {
  basics: [
    'All required meta tags present',
    'Image loads under 3 seconds',
    'Text readable at small sizes',
    'Proper fallbacks set'
  ],
  platforms: [
    'Twitter preview correct',
    'LinkedIn rendering properly',
    'Facebook mobile/desktop check',
    'Discord embed working'
  ],
  technical: [
    'Valid image dimensions',
    'Proper file size',
    'CORS headers set',
    'Cache headers optimized'
  ]
};
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Validation Tools

  1. Twitter Card Validator
  2. LinkedIn Post Inspector
  3. Facebook Sharing Debugger

Common Gotchas & Fixes ๐Ÿ”ง

  1. Image Not Updating
// Add cache buster
const imageUrl = `${baseUrl}/og.png?v=${Date.now()}`;
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  1. CORS Issues
// Next.js API route
export default function handler(req, res) {
  res.setHeader('Access-Control-Allow-Origin', '*')
  // Rest of your code
}
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  1. Slow Loading Times
// Implement preloading
<link 
  rel="preload" 
  as="image" 
  href="your-og-image.png"
>
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Performance Tips โšก

  1. Image Optimization
import sharp from 'sharp';

const optimizeOG = async (buffer: Buffer) => {
  return sharp(buffer)
    .resize(1200, 630)
    .jpeg({
      quality: 80,
      progressive: true
    })
    .toBuffer();
};
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  1. Caching Strategy
// Example with Redis
const CACHE_TTL = 3600; // 1 hour

async function getOGImage(key: string) {
  const cached = await redis.get(key);
  if (cached) return cached;

  const image = await generateOGImage();
  await redis.set(key, image, 'EX', CACHE_TTL);
  return image;
}
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Quick Implementation Checklist โœ…

1. Meta Tags
   โ–ก Basic OG tags
   โ–ก Platform-specific tags
   โ–ก Fallback values

2. Images
   โ–ก Correct dimensions
   โ–ก Optimized file size
   โ–ก Proper hosting setup

3. Testing
   โ–ก Cross-platform checks
   โ–ก Mobile rendering
   โ–ก Load time verification

4. Monitoring
   โ–ก Error tracking
   โ–ก Performance metrics
   โ–ก Usage analytics
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What's Next? ๐Ÿš€

In the next part of this series, we'll look at:

  • Automation techniques
  • Template systems
  • A/B testing setups
  • Performance optimization

Want to implement all this without the technical overhead?

  • Try gleam.so - it's free to start gleam.so
  • Follow me for more technical deep-dives

Have questions? Drop them in the comments! I'm here to help and will use your questions to update this guide. ๐Ÿ˜Š

PS: If you're finding this helpful, don't forget to follow the series for more practical OG image tips!


This is Part 2 of the "Making OpenGraph Work" series. Check out Part 1 if you missed it!

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