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Before You Fix It: What This Check Means
Open Graph controls how shared links are represented across social surfaces. In plain terms, this checks whether social platforms have the main metadata they need to build a good preview. Scavo parses Open Graph `<meta property="og:*">` tags and validates required coverage.
Why this matters in practice: low-quality share signals can reduce click quality and brand trust in social feeds.
How to use this result: treat this as directional evidence, not final truth. Platform cache behavior can delay visible changes even after metadata is corrected. First, confirm the issue in live output: verify directly in live production output with browser/network tools Then ship one controlled change: Centralize OG generation in one metadata helper/partial. Finally, re-scan the same URL to confirm the result improves.
Background sources
TL;DR: OpenGraph meta tags are missing, so shared links appear as plain text on Facebook, LinkedIn, Slack, and other platforms.
When someone shares your link on Facebook, LinkedIn, Slack, or iMessage, OpenGraph tags determine the preview image, title, and description that appear. Without them, the platform either shows nothing or generates a low-quality preview from whatever it finds on the page. Rich previews with compelling images get significantly more clicks and shares than plain URLs.
What Scavo checks (plain English)
Scavo parses Open Graph <meta property="og:*"> tags and validates required coverage.
Required tags in this check:
og:titleog:descriptionog:imageog:urlog:type
Recommended tag in this check:
og:site_name
Validation behavior:
og:imageandog:urlmust be absolutehttp(s)URLs- Fail: all required tags missing
- Fail: one or more required tags missing
- Warning: required tags exist but
og:imageorog:urlare not valid absolute URLs - Warning: required tags are valid but
og:site_nameis missing - Pass: required + recommended tags present and structurally valid
How Scavo scores this check
Scavo assigns one result state for this check on the tested page:
- Pass: baseline signals for this check were found.
- Warning: partial coverage or risk signals were found and should be reviewed.
- Fail: required signals were missing or risky behavior was confirmed.
- Info: Scavo could not gather enough reliable evidence on this run to score pass/fail confidently.
In your scan report, this appears under What failed / What needs attention / What is working for open_graph, followed by Recommended next steps and Technical evidence (for developers) when needed.
- Scan key:
open_graph - Category:
SOCIAL
Why fixing this matters
Social preview quality affects click trust before users even reach your site. Broken cards reduce CTR and can make campaigns look low quality, even when the landing page is strong.
This also impacts operational consistency. If OG tags come from ad-hoc template overrides, new pages drift quickly and previews become unpredictable by route.
Common reasons this check fails
- Templates only output title/description but omit image or URL.
- Relative image paths are used in
og:image. - Canonical/route changes were made but
og:urlstayed stale. - Page builders strip
og:site_nameduring publishing.
If you are not technical
- Share a URL in Slack/LinkedIn/X and screenshot the preview result.
- Confirm title, description, and image match current messaging.
- Ask your developer to use one shared OG component for all public pages.
- Re-run Scavo after deployment and verify missing-tag warnings are cleared.
Technical handoff message
Copy and share this with your developer.
Scavo flagged Open Graph Tags (open_graph). Please ensure all required OG tags are present, og:image/og:url are absolute HTTP(S) URLs, and og:site_name is included in shared template metadata.If you are technical
- Centralize OG generation in one metadata helper/partial.
- Output all required tags for every indexable public page.
- Ensure
og:urlmatches canonical page URL. - Use fully-qualified image URLs with stable dimensions and reliable caching.
- Add
og:site_nameglobally for stronger brand consistency.
How to verify
- View source and confirm all required OG tags exist.
- Validate
og:urlandog:imageare absolute HTTP(S). - Use platform preview tools to refresh cached cards.
- Re-run Scavo and confirm pass.
What this scan cannot confirm
- It does not test final image crop/quality on every social platform.
- It does not guarantee platform cache refresh timing.
- It does not score copywriting quality of titles/descriptions.
Owner checklist
- [ ] Assign one owner for social metadata patterns.
- [ ] Keep OG defaults in shared layout code, not page-only overrides.
- [ ] Add preview QA for launch-critical pages.
- [ ] Recheck cards after URL routing or CDN image-path changes.
FAQ
Why do we need both OG and Twitter/X card tags?
Many platforms read OG. X has its own card tags. Running both gives more consistent previews across channels.
Can we use relative paths for og:image?
Not reliably. Use absolute HTTP(S) URLs.
What should og:type be for most marketing pages?
website is common for general pages; use specific types only when truly applicable.
Why is og:site_name only a warning?
Core share functionality still works without it, but adding it improves brand consistency.
Sources
Need a single metadata component map (OG + Twitter + canonical) for your templates? Send support your current head-tag setup.
