Best Practices for SEO and Open Graph Metadata

Title Tag

The title tag is crucial for SEO and social sharing. Best practices include:

  • Keep it under 60 characters to avoid truncation in search results
  • Include your primary keyword near the beginning
  • Make it unique for each page
  • Include your brand name, typically at the end

Meta Description

While not a direct ranking factor, meta descriptions can influence click-through rates:

  • Keep it between 150-160 characters
  • Provide a concise summary of the page content
  • Include a call-to-action when appropriate
  • Use your primary keyword naturally

Open Graph Tags

Open Graph tags enhance how your content appears when shared on social media:

  • og:title: Similar to your title tag, but can be more descriptive (up to 95 characters)
  • og:description: Provide a compelling summary (up to 200 characters)
  • og:image: Use high-quality, relevant images (more on sizes below)
  • og:url: The canonical URL for your page
  • og:type: Specify the type of content (e.g., website, article, product)

Image Sizes for Social Media Platforms

Different platforms have varying requirements for og:image sizes:

Facebook

  • Recommended size: 1200 x 630 pixels
  • Aspect ratio: 1.91:1
  • Minimum size: 600 x 315 pixels
  • Maximum file size: 8MB

Twitter

  • Recommended size: 1200 x 675 pixels
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • Minimum size: 600 x 335 pixels
  • Maximum file size: 5MB

LinkedIn

  • Recommended size: 1200 x 627 pixels
  • Aspect ratio: 1.91:1 (same as Facebook)
  • Minimum size: 600 x 315 pixels

Note: While these platforms have recommended sizes, they will often display images in various sizes depending on the device and context. It's best to use high-resolution images that maintain their quality when scaled.

General Tips

  • Ensure consistency between your meta tags and the actual page content
  • Regularly update your metadata, especially for time-sensitive content
  • Use tools like this one to preview how your content will appear on different platforms
  • Consider creating platform-specific images for optimal display on each social network
  • Always test your metadata implementation using the validation tools provided by each platform