Open Graph and Twitter cards in NextJS

Introduction

Open Graph and Twitter cards help your web pages look nice when shared on social media. They show images, titles, and descriptions automatically.

You want your website links to look attractive when shared on Facebook or Twitter.

You want to control what image and text appear when someone shares your page.

You want to increase clicks by making your shared links more engaging.

You want to improve your website's social media presence with rich previews.

Syntax

NextJS

import Head from 'next/head';

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <>
      <Head>
        {/* Open Graph tags */}
        <meta property="og:title" content="Page Title" />
        <meta property="og:description" content="Page description here." />
        <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />
        <meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/page" />

        {/* Twitter Card tags */}
        <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
        <meta name="twitter:title" content="Page Title" />
        <meta name="twitter:description" content="Page description here." />
        <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />
      </Head>
      <main>
        {/* Page content here */}
      </main>
    </>
  );
}

Use the Head component from Next.js to add meta tags inside the HTML <head> section.

Open Graph uses property attributes, Twitter cards use name attributes in meta tags.

Examples

Basic Open Graph tags for a blog post page.

NextJS

<Head>
  <meta property="og:title" content="My Blog Post" />
  <meta property="og:description" content="A short summary of my post." />
  <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/blog-image.jpg" />
  <meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/blog-post" />
</Head>

Basic Twitter card tags for the same blog post.

NextJS

<Head>
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" />
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="My Blog Post" />
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="A short summary of my post." />
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/blog-image.jpg" />
</Head>

Open Graph tags without an image. Social sites may show a default or no image.

NextJS

<Head>
  {/* No image provided */}
  <meta property="og:title" content="Page Without Image" />
  <meta property="og:description" content="This page has no image." />
  <meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/no-image" />
</Head>

Twitter card with minimal tags and only an image.

NextJS

<Head>
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" />
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="Single Image Card" />
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/single-image.jpg" />
</Head>

Sample Program

This Next.js page sets Open Graph and Twitter card meta tags inside the Head component. When shared on social media, the link will show the title, description, and image defined here.

NextJS

import Head from 'next/head';

export default function SocialPreviewPage() {
  return (
    <>
      <Head>
        {/* Open Graph tags */}
        <meta property="og:title" content="Welcome to My Site" />
        <meta property="og:description" content="This is a simple page with Open Graph and Twitter cards." />
        <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/welcome-image.jpg" />
        <meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/welcome" />

        {/* Twitter Card tags */}
        <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
        <meta name="twitter:title" content="Welcome to My Site" />
        <meta name="twitter:description" content="This is a simple page with Open Graph and Twitter cards." />
        <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/welcome-image.jpg" />
      </Head>
      <main>
        <h1>Welcome to My Site</h1>
        <p>This page has meta tags for social media previews.</p>
      </main>
    </>
  );
}

Important Notes

Open Graph tags improve how your page looks on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other platforms.

Twitter cards require specific meta tags to show images and summaries on Twitter.

Always use absolute URLs (starting with https://) for images and links in meta tags.

Summary

Open Graph and Twitter cards make your shared links look better on social media.

Use Next.js Head component to add these meta tags inside your pages.

Include title, description, image, and URL for best results.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of adding Open Graph and Twitter card meta tags in a Next.js page?

easy

A. To speed up the page loading time

B. To improve how links appear when shared on social media platforms

C. To add custom fonts to the page

D. To enable server-side rendering

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Open Graph and Twitter cards

   These meta tags control how links look when shared on social media, like showing images and descriptions.

2. Step 2: Identify their purpose in Next.js

   Adding these tags inside the Head component improves link previews, not performance or fonts.

3. Final Answer:

   To improve how links appear when shared on social media platforms -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Open Graph = Better social media previews [OK]

Hint: Open Graph tags control social media link previews [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking they speed up page loading
• Confusing with styling or fonts
• Assuming they enable server-side rendering

2. Which of the following is the correct way to add an Open Graph title tag inside a Next.js page using the Head component?

easy

A. My Page Title

B.

C.

D.

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Open Graph meta tag syntax

   Open Graph tags use property="og:..." attribute, not name.

2. Step 2: Check Next.js Head usage

   Meta tags go inside Head with correct attributes; property="og:title" is correct for Open Graph title.

3. Final Answer:

   <Head><meta property="og:title" content="My Page Title" /></Head> -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Open Graph uses property="og:title" [OK]

Hint: Use property="og:title" for Open Graph title meta tag [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using name="og:title" instead of property
• Confusing Twitter card tags with Open Graph
• Placing meta tags outside <Head>

3. Given this Next.js component, what will be the rendered meta tag for Twitter card title?

import Head from 'next/head';

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <Head>
      <meta name="twitter:title" content="Welcome to Next.js" />
    </Head>
  );
}

medium

A. <meta name="og:title" content="Welcome to Next.js" />

B. <meta property="twitter:title" content="Welcome to Next.js" />

C. <meta name="twitter:title" content="Welcome to Next.js" />

D. No meta tag will be rendered

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the meta tag syntax in the component

   The component uses name="twitter:title" which is correct for Twitter cards.

2. Step 2: Confirm rendering behavior

   Next.js Head renders meta tags as written, so the tag will appear exactly as coded.

3. Final Answer:

   <meta name="twitter:title" content="Welcome to Next.js" /> -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Twitter card title uses name="twitter:title" [OK]

Hint: Twitter card title uses name="twitter:title" attribute [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using property instead of name for Twitter tags
• Confusing Open Graph and Twitter meta attributes
• Assuming Next.js modifies meta tags automatically

4. You added this code to your Next.js page but the Twitter card image is not showing:

<Head>
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="/images/card.png" />
</Head>

What is the most likely reason the image does not appear on Twitter?

medium

A. The image URL is relative and should be absolute with full domain

B. The meta tag name should be property instead of name

C. Twitter cards do not support images

D. The content attribute is missing

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the image URL format

   Twitter requires absolute URLs (including https://domain) for images, not relative paths.

2. Step 2: Verify meta tag attributes

   Using name="twitter:image" is correct; Twitter supports images in cards.

3. Final Answer:

   The image URL is relative and should be absolute with full domain -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Twitter image URLs must be absolute [OK]

Hint: Use full URL for Twitter card images, not relative paths [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using relative image URLs
• Changing name to property for Twitter tags
• Thinking Twitter cards don't support images

5. You want to create a Next.js page that sets both Open Graph and Twitter card meta tags for title, description, and image. Which code snippet correctly combines these tags inside the Head component?

hard

A.

B.

C.

D.

Solution

1. Step 1: Verify Open Graph meta tags

   Open Graph tags use property="og:..." with absolute image URL, which is correct in options A, C, D.

2. Step 2: Verify Twitter card meta tags

   Twitter tags use name="twitter:..." and include twitter:card with value summary_large_image for large image preview, correctly done only in A.

3. Step 3: Check image URLs and completeness

   uses absolute URLs for images and includes all required tags for both Open Graph and Twitter cards.

4. Final Answer:

   Option A correctly combines Open Graph and Twitter card meta tags with proper attributes and URLs -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Open Graph uses property, Twitter uses name, absolute URLs needed [OK]

Hint: Use property for Open Graph, name for Twitter, absolute URLs for images [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using name instead of property for Open Graph
• Using relative URLs for images
• Omitting twitter:card meta tag