Common Issues seo

My Website Preview Looks Wrong on Social Media

When you share your website link on Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, or in a text message, the preview that appears looks wrong. Maybe it shows the wrong image (or no image at all), a weird title, a missing description, or just an ugly plain link with no preview.

This matters more than you think. Social media previews are often someone's first impression of your business. If your link looks broken or unprofessional compared to other websites, people are far less likely to click it. It makes your site look amateur or suspicious.

The good news is that fixing this is relatively simple — your website just needs a few specific tags that tell social media platforms what image, title, and description to show.

Error Messages You Might See

No error — just an ugly or incorrect link preview OG tags missing (when checking with Facebook debugger) Image too small for sharing Unable to fetch preview
No error — just an ugly or incorrect link previewOG tags missing (when checking with Facebook debugger)Image too small for sharingUnable to fetch preview

Common Causes

  • Missing Open Graph tags — Your website doesn't have the special HTML tags (called Open Graph tags) that Facebook and LinkedIn use to create previews
  • Missing Twitter Card tags — Twitter/X uses its own set of tags for previews, and your site doesn't have them
  • Image too small or wrong format — The preview image needs to be at least 1200x630 pixels. Smaller images get cropped or ignored
  • Social media cached old version — You fixed the tags but Facebook/Twitter still show the old broken preview from their cache
  • No image specified — Without a specified image, social platforms pick a random image from your page — often a tiny icon or the wrong photo

How to Fix It

  1. Add Open Graph tags to your pages — Add og:title, og:description, og:image, and og:url meta tags to the head section of your HTML
  2. Add Twitter Card tags — Add twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:description, and twitter:image meta tags
  3. Create a proper preview image — Design an image that's 1200x630 pixels showing your brand, product, or a relevant graphic
  4. Clear social media caches — Use Facebook's Sharing Debugger (developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/) and Twitter's Card Validator to refresh your previews
  5. Test every important page — Check the preview for your homepage, product pages, blog posts, and any page you'd commonly share

Real developers can help you.

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What I bring to AI-built apps: - I audit and fix security issues (OWASP methodology), performance bottlenecks, and architectural problems in codebases generated by Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, Bolt, and v0 - I refactor AI-generated prototypes into production-grade applications with proper error handling, testing, and clean architecture (SOLID, DDD, hexagonal architecture) - I set up the infrastructure AI tools don't touch: AWS hosting, CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments, database optimization, monitoring, and alerting - I integrate external services: payment providers, email systems, partner APIs, SSO/auth Tech stack: PHP 8.x, Symfony, React, Next.js, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Docker, AWS (ECS, RDS, S3, SQS/SNS, CloudFront), Terraform, Supabase. I also use AI tools daily (Claude Code, Cursor) in my own workflow, so I understand both the strengths and the gaps in AI-generated code. Based in Poland (CET timezone). Available for async work and calls during EU/US business hours. Bastien Labelle Bastien Labelle Full stack dev w/ 20+ years of experience Sage Fulcher Sage Fulcher Hey I'm Sage! Im a Boston area software engineer who grew up in South Florida. Ive worked at a ton of cool places like a telehealth kidney care startup that took part in a billion dollar merger (Cricket health/Interwell health), a boutique design agency where I got to work on a ton of exciting startups including a photography education app, a collegiate Esports league and more (Philosophie), a data analytics as a service startup in Cambridge (MA) as well as at Phillips and MIT Lincoln Lab where I designed and developed novel network security visualizations and analytics. I've been writing code and furiously devoted to using computers to make people’s lives easier for about 17 years. My degree is in making computers make pretty lights and sounds. Outside of work I love hip hop, the Celtics, professional wrestling, magic the gathering, photography, drumming, and guitars (both making and playing them) Caio Rodrigues Caio Rodrigues I'm a full-stack developer focused on building practical and scalable web applications. My main experience is with **React, TypeScript, and modern frontend architectures**, where I prioritize clean code, component reusability, and maintainable project structures. I have strong experience working with **dynamic forms, state management (Redux / React Hook Form), and complex data-driven interfaces**. I enjoy solving real-world problems by turning ideas into reliable software that companies can actually use in their daily operations. Beyond coding, I care about **software quality and architecture**, following best practices for componentization, code organization, and performance optimization. I'm also comfortable working across the stack when needed, integrating APIs, handling business logic, and helping transform prototypes into production-ready systems. My goal is always to deliver solutions that are **simple, efficient, and genuinely useful for the people using them.** Vlad Temian Vlad Temian 15+ years shipping production infrastructure for startups. Former CTO at qed.builders (acquired by The Sandbox). Cursor ambassador and agentic tooling builder. I've scaled systems, automated deployments, and built observability tools for AI coding workflows. I specialize in taking vibe-coded apps from broken prototype to production-ready: fixing Supabase auth/RLS, Stripe integrations, deployment pipelines, and cleaning up AI-generated spaghetti. I build tools in this space (agentprobe, claudebin, micode) and understand both sides: how AI generates code and why it breaks. https://blog.vtemian.com/ Matthew Butler Matthew Butler Systems Development Engineer @ Amazon Web Services legrab legrab I'll fill this later Pratik Pratik SWE with 15+ years of experience building and maintaining web apps and extensive BE infrastructure Basel Issmail Basel Issmail ’m a Senior Full-Stack Developer and Tech Lead with experience designing and building scalable web platforms. I work across the full development lifecycle, from translating business requirements into technical architecture to delivering reliable production systems. My work focuses on modern web technologies, including TypeScript, Angular, Node.js, and cloud-based architectures. I enjoy solving complex technical problems and helping teams turn product ideas and prototypes into working platforms that can grow and scale. 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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Facebook show an old/wrong preview even after I fixed it?

Facebook caches (saves) your link preview the first time someone shares it. To force Facebook to refresh it, paste your URL into the Facebook Sharing Debugger (developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/) and click 'Scrape Again.'

What size should my preview image be?

Use 1200x630 pixels for the best results across all platforms. This size works well on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and messaging apps. Use JPG or PNG format, keep it under 5MB, and make sure important content isn't at the edges since different platforms crop differently.

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