Solving Issues with og: Meta Tags: A Comprehensive Guide
Tags: webdev, javascript, metatags, ruby
Published: 2024-05-25 07:46:47

Meta tags are snippets of text that describe a page's content; the og: meta tags, in particular, are essential for social media sharing. They control how your content appears when shared on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, playing a crucial role in attracting clicks and engagement for your website. 

##The Issue

Despite setting up my og: meta tags correctly, I faced a frustrating problem: the shared links on Facebook or linkedin were not displaying the correct thumbnail of the post. It showed the general thumbnail of my website, but not the specific post thumbnail I wanted from within the website. This inconsistency not only marred the appearance of my website's link but also potentially reducing traffic and engagement. 

**Ruby version**
```ruby
set_meta_tags :og => {
      :title    => template.name,
      :description     => template.description,
      :site_name      => 'XYZ',
      :image    => template.cover_image_url
}
  end
```
**JavaScript version**
```js
<head>
      <meta property="og:title" content="${template.name}" />
      <meta property="og:description" content="${template.description}" />
      <meta property="og:site_name" content="XYZ" />
      <meta property="og:image" content="${template.cover_image_url}" />
      <title>My App</title>
</head>
```

##Troubleshooting Steps

When troubleshooting issues with og: meta tags, it's essential to follow a systematic approach to identify and resolve the problem. Here are the steps I took:

**1. Initial Checks**
First, ensure that the meta tags are correctly placed within the `<head>` section of your HTML document. Incorrect syntax, placement or indentation can cause social media platforms to misinterpret the tags.

```javascript
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta property="og:title" content="Sample Title" />
  <meta property="og:description" content="Sample Description" />
  <meta property="og:site_name" content="XYZ" />
  <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />
  <title>My App</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
</body>
</html>
```

**2. Check the URL**
Ensure that the URLs used in your meta tags are absolute and correct. Relative URLs might not be interpreted correctly by social media platforms.

<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />

**3. Use Debugging Tools**
Each major social media platform provides tools to help debug and validate your meta tags. These tools can be immensely helpful in identifying issues.

- **Facebook Debugging Tool**: Sharing Debugger
- **Twitter Debugging Tool**: Card Validator
- **LinkedIn Debugging Tool**: Post Inspector

Enter your URL in these debugger tools. Review the link preview and make necessary adjustments based on the feedback.

**4. Common Pitfalls**
Ensure that your images meet the size and format requirements of each platform. For example:

**Facebook**: Minimum 200x200 pixels. Recommended size is 1200x630 pixels.
**Twitter**: Minimum 120x120 pixels. Recommended size is 1200x628 pixels.
**LinkedIn**: Minimum 1200x627 pixels. Recommended size is 1200x627 pixels.

Ensure the images are in the correct format (JPEG, PNG, etc.) and are accessible via the URL provided.

**5.Cache Issues**
Sometimes, even after fixing the meta tags, social media platforms might still show old data due to caching. Use the debugging tools mentioned above to refresh the cache. For Facebook, you can force a rescrape using the Sharing Debugger.

##The Solution
After extensive testing, I discovered that the issue was due to the absence of the `og:url ` meta tag. Social media platforms sometimes rely on this tag to properly link the meta information to the specific page. Here's how I fixed it:

**Adding the og:url Meta Tag**

**Ruby Version**
```ruby
def apply_meta_tag(template)
  set_meta_tags og: {
    title: template.name,
    url: request.original_url, ##Add url explicitly
    description: template.description,
    site_name: 'XYZ',
    image: template.cover_image_url
  }
end
```

**JavaScript version**
```javascript
<head>
      <meta property="og:url" content="${currentUrl}" /> // Add url explicitly
      <meta property="og:title" content="${template.name}" />
      <meta property="og:description" content="${template.description}" />
      <meta property="og:site_name" content="XYZ" />
      <meta property="og:image" content="${template.cover_image_url}" />
      <title>${template.name}</title>
</head>
```

After making these changes, I verified the updated link preview on all platforms. The link previews now displayed the correct image consistently across Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

If you've encountered similar issues with og: meta tags, share your experiences and solutions in the comments below!


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