In this article · 10 sections
- The essential tags
- Image guidelines
- Page-specific previews
- Testing previews
- Common problems and fixes
- OG tags and SEO
- Quick checklist
- Branded share images are worth it
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does my WhatsApp preview show no image?
- How long does WhatsApp cache previews?
- Do I need different images for each platform?
- Can I add OG tags without a developer?
- Make every share look professional
In India, a huge amount of website traffic starts with a link shared on WhatsApp — a customer forwarding your page to family, a staff member sending a quote link, a post in a community group. When the link appears, WhatsApp shows a preview: an image, a title and a short description. A good preview looks professional and gets tapped. A broken one — no image, the wrong title, "Index of /" — looks suspicious.
These previews are controlled by Open Graph (OG) tags in your page's HTML.
The essential tags
<meta property="og:title" content="Ludhiana to Delhi Airport Taxi – 24×7, Fixed Fare">
<meta property="og:description" content="Clean cars, verified drivers, flight tracking. Book on WhatsApp.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/og-delhi-airport.jpg">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/ludhiana-to-delhi-airport-taxi">
<meta property="og:type" content="website">
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Example Taxi">For X (Twitter), add Twitter Card tags such as twitter:card with value summary_large_image. X also falls back to OG tags if Twitter-specific ones are missing.
Image guidelines
| Item | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Size | 1200 × 630 pixels works well across platforms |
| Format | JPG or PNG are the safest choices |
| File size | Keep it small — a few hundred KB — so WhatsApp loads it reliably |
| URL | Absolute https URL that loads without login |
| Design | Logo, clear short text, important content in the centre (edges may be cropped) |
WhatsApp may show a smaller square thumbnail in some cases, so keep key elements centred.
Page-specific previews
Don't use one generic image and description for every page. Ideally:
- Service pages show the service and benefit.
- Blog posts show the article title and a relevant image.
- Product pages show the product photo and price.
- A sensible site-wide default image covers pages without a specific one.
On PHP websites, the header template can output OG tags using each page's title, description and image variables, with a fallback.
Testing previews
- Facebook Sharing Debugger shows what Facebook (and often WhatsApp) sees, lists warnings, and lets you "Scrape Again" to refresh.
- LinkedIn Post Inspector does the same for LinkedIn.
- For WhatsApp, send the link to yourself. Previews are cached, so after changes, test with a slightly different URL (for example adding
?v=2) to see the new version.
Common problems and fixes
- No image appears: image URL is relative, blocked, too large, or behind a redirect.
- Old image keeps showing: platforms cache previews; refresh with the debugger tools.
- Wrong title: missing OG tags, so platforms guess from page content.
- Duplicate tags: theme and plugin both adding OG tags — remove one.
- Preview blocked: security settings or firewall blocking social media crawlers. Allow known crawlers such as facebookexternalhit.
OG tags and SEO
OG tags don't directly affect Google rankings, but they influence clicks from social shares and messaging apps, which drive traffic and brand awareness. Some AI tools and link-preview systems also read them. Keep them consistent with your page title and meta description. See title tags and meta descriptions.
Quick checklist
- Every important page has og:title, og:description, og:image and og:url.
- Images are 1200 × 630, under a few hundred KB, with absolute https URLs.
- Tested in Facebook Sharing Debugger and by sending the link on WhatsApp.
- Only one set of OG tags per page.
Branded share images are worth it
A consistent share image template — logo, page title and a real photo — makes every link you or your customers share look professional. Over time, people recognise your brand in WhatsApp chats and groups before they even read the text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my WhatsApp preview show no image?
Usually the og:image is missing, uses a relative URL, is too large, or the server blocks the request.
How long does WhatsApp cache previews?
It varies. Using a new URL parameter is the quickest way to test changes.
Do I need different images for each platform?
No. One 1200 × 630 image per page works for most platforms.
Can I add OG tags without a developer?
On WordPress, SEO plugins handle it. On custom sites, a developer adds them to the page template once.
Make every share look professional
Joboo Web sets up page-specific OG tags and share images. See WhatsApp marketing, web development, or contact us.