When sharing a link on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter (now X), you’ll notice that a preview image often appears alongside the link. This image is known as an Open Graph (OG) image, and it plays a significant role in determining how your content is displayed when shared online.
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Open Graph image sizes, explain what an OG image is, and give you actionable tips to ensure your shared content looks great on social media platforms.
What Is an Open Graph Image?
An Open Graph image is the image that appears as part of a preview when someone shares a link to your website on social media. It’s pulled from your website through Open Graph meta tags, which are small bits of data embedded in your webpage. Along with the OG image, other meta tags determine what information (title, description, etc.) will be shown when a link is shared.
Why Does the Open Graph Image Matter?
Having an OG image makes your content more visually appealing when it is shared on social media, which can:
- Increase engagement: Posts with attractive images tend to get more clicks, likes, shares, and comments.
- Control how your content looks: Without an OG image, social media platforms may randomly pick an image from your website, which might not be ideal.
- Boost brand consistency: A well-designed OG image helps your brand appear more professional and consistent across platforms.
Best Open Graph Image Sizes for Different Platforms
The recommended Open Graph image size that works well across most platforms is 1200 x 630 pixels. This ensures that your image displays correctly without being cropped or distorted. However, different social media platforms have slightly varying requirements. Below, we’ll break down the best OG image sizes for each major platform.
For Facebook, the recommended OG image size is 1200 x 630 pixels with an aspect ratio of 1.91:1. This size ensures that your image appears well in news feeds without being cropped.
Like Facebook, LinkedIn also supports the 1200 x 627 pixels size for OG images, which is nearly identical to Facebook’s requirements. The 1.91:1 aspect ratio helps ensure your image is fully displayed without any cropping on LinkedIn.
Although 1200 x 627 pixels works well, some users recommend experimenting with square images (1:1 ratio) for better visibility on LinkedIn.
Twitter (X)
Twitter (now X) uses two main types of summary cards for displaying Open Graph images:
- Summary Card with Large Image: The recommended size for this card is 1200 x 675 pixels with an aspect ratio of 1.91:1. This format provides a large, impactful preview of your content and is ideal for visually-driven posts.
- Summary Card with Small Image: For smaller preview cards, the recommended size is 800 x 418 pixels, also using the 1.91:1 aspect ratio.
It's important to center key elements like text or logos to ensure they remain visible across different devices and screen sizes. While Twitter doesn't crop images aggressively anymore, keeping critical content centered helps maintain visibility in cases where resizing occurs.
Other Platforms (Pinterest, Slack, etc.)
Most other platforms, like Pinterest and Slack, also use OG images to generate previews when links are shared. Sticking to the 1200 x 630 pixels size will generally work well across these platforms, though you may want to check how your image appears to make sure it’s not cropped or stretched.
Best Practices for Open Graph Images
Now that you know the ideal sizes, here are some best practices to help you create OG images that will look great across all social media platforms.
1. Choose the Right File Format
OG images should be saved as JPEG or PNG files. JPEG is ideal for photographs, while PNG is better for images with transparency or sharper lines (like logos). Ideally, you should try to keep the file size under 5MB to ensure that it loads quickly on social media platforms.
2. Keep Text Minimal and Clear
While adding text to your OG image can help explain the content, it’s important to keep it simple. Too much text can clutter the image, and social media platforms might crop or resize your image in a way that makes the text unreadable.
3. Align with Your Branding
Your OG image should reflect your brand’s style and tone. If possible, include your logo, consistent color schemes, or any visual elements that align with your brand identity. This ensures that your content is immediately recognizable when shared.
4. Use Unique OG Images for Different Pages
To make your content stand out, it’s best to create unique OG images for different pages on your website. For example, your homepage, blog posts, and product pages should each have their own tailored image that reflects their specific content.
Tools for Creating and Testing Open Graph Images
1. Creating OG Images
There are plenty of tools available to help you create high-quality OG images, even if you don’t have design experience. Tools like Krumzi allow you to create perfectly sized images quickly.
2. Testing OG Images
Before sharing links on social media, it’s a good idea to test how your OG images will appear. Use tools like Facebook’s Sharing Debugger or a Twitter Card Validator tool to see previews of your link and check if the correct OG image is being used.
Final Thoughts
Using the right Open Graph image size is a simple but crucial part of optimizing your social media presence. A well-designed OG image ensures that your content looks professional, attracts attention, and encourages engagement when shared on social media.
By sticking to the recommended size of 1200 x 630 pixels, optimizing your image for text and branding, and using tools to create and test your OG images, you’ll be well on your way to improving the visibility and performance of your web content across social platforms.
Take the time to implement these best practices, and you'll see the difference in how your shared content performs. Happy sharing!
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