# Open Graph tags

> Open Graph tags are meta tags with the og: prefix that set the title, description and image a page shows when it is shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, Slack and other apps.

- **Check ID:** S8
- **Area:** [SEO](https://be1st.ai/glossary/seo)
- **Tool:** [SEO + Security + Performance](https://be1st.ai/tools/ssp-audit)
- **Page:** https://be1st.ai/glossary/seo/open-graph-tags

## Why it matters

Without OG tags, social networks generate previews automatically, which often results in an unattractive display. Properly set OG tags can increase click-through rates when sharing content by up to 50%.

## In practice

The New York Times has precisely configured OG tags for every article, including og:image with an optimized preview image. When shared on Facebook, the article appears with a large image, title, and description.

## How be1st checks it

Checks for the presence of Open Graph meta tags. The check requires og:title, og:description and og:image; og:url is recommended as well. These tags determine how content appears when shared on social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and others.

[SEO + Security + Performance](https://be1st.ai/tools/ssp-audit), SEO tab.

Every check ends as: Pass, Warning, Fail.

## Sources

- [The Open Graph Protocol](https://ogp.me/) (Open Graph Protocol)
- [SEO Starter Guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide) (Google Search Central)

## Related terms

- [Social networks](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/social-networks): Social network links are the links from a website to its profiles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and other networks.
- [Twitter Card tags](https://be1st.ai/glossary/seo/twitter-card-tags): Twitter Card tags are meta tags with the twitter: prefix that control how a link preview looks when a page is shared on X, formerly Twitter.
- [Structured data](https://be1st.ai/glossary/seo/structured-data): Structured data is machine-readable markup, usually JSON-LD with the Schema.org vocabulary, that says what a page contains: a product, an article, a company or an event.
- [Image ALT texts](https://be1st.ai/glossary/seo/image-alt-texts): ALT text is the alt attribute of an image: a short written description that screen readers read aloud and search engines use to understand the picture.
- [Internal links](https://be1st.ai/glossary/seo/internal-links): Internal links point from one page to other pages of the same website. They help visitors and crawlers find content and spread authority across the site.
- [External links](https://be1st.ai/glossary/seo/external-links): External links point from your page to other websites. Links to trustworthy sources back up the claims in your text and let readers check them.