An Open Graph image is the picture shown when your link is shared on X, LinkedIn, Slack, iMessage and other apps. Use 1200×630 pixels, put your product name, a short tagline and a product screenshot on it with large text, add the og:image and twitter:card meta tags, and use each network's preview tool to refresh a stale image.
Why it matters
A shared link without an image is a grey line of text that people scroll past. A clear preview image makes the same link look like a real product, and it's shown every time anyone shares any page of your site.
Size and format
- 1200×630 pixels (about 1.91:1) is the standard size that works across the major networks.
- PNG or JPEG, ideally well under 1 MB so it loads fast in previews.
- Keep text and logos away from the edges; some apps crop the sides or show a square thumbnail.
What to put on it
- Your product name and a short tagline, large enough to read on a phone.
- A product screenshot or the key visual.
- Your logo.
- High contrast, few words. It's seen at thumbnail size most of the time.
The meta tags
Add these to the <head> of each page: og:title, og:description, og:image (an absolute URL), og:url, and twitter:card set to summary_large_image so X shows the large image. Most frameworks and site builders have a setting or a file convention for this, and some can generate a different image for each page automatically.
When the preview won't update
- Social networks cache previews, sometimes for days.
- Use LinkedIn's Post Inspector or Facebook's Sharing Debugger to fetch the page again and refresh the cache.
- If the old image still shows, change the image URL (for example add ?v=2) so it's treated as a new file.
- Check the image URL opens on its own in a private browser window; if it needs a login, previews can't load it.
Get a share card made for you
Every IndieLaunch launch gets its own share image with your logo, name, tagline and first screenshot, ready to post.
Frequently asked questions
- What size should an Open Graph image be?
- 1200×630 pixels. It displays well on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Slack and most messaging apps, and scales down cleanly for smaller previews.
- Do Open Graph images help SEO?
- Not directly in rankings. They make shared links more likely to be clicked, which brings visitors and sometimes links, and those help indirectly.
- Why is the wrong image showing when I share my link?
- The network cached an older version or can't read your tags. Run the page through the network's preview or debugging tool, and check the og:image URL is absolute and publicly reachable.