Open Graph Images for Bio Pages: Fix How Your Link Looks When Shared

You paste your page into WhatsApp, and up comes a preview with the wrong photo, or none at all. An Open Graph image is what controls that picture. It’s a behind-the-scenes setting, nobody sees it on your page itself, and yet it decides what your link looks like everywhere it’s shared. Fixing it takes minutes. Understanding why old previews stick around will save you some head-scratching.

What a preview card is

When you share a link in a chat app or on a social platform, the app often fetches the page and builds a small card. It usually shows:

• An image
• A title
• A short description
• The site’s name or domain

That card helps people decide whether the link is worth tapping, and whether it’s safe. A blank card with a raw address looks less trustworthy than a clean one with your name and a clear image.

Not every app shows a card. Instagram’s bio link, for example, just shows the address. Cards matter most where people share links: WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Facebook, Slack, Discord and text messages on some phones.

The tags behind it

Those cards are mostly built from Open Graph tags, small pieces of information in the page’s code. The Open Graph protocol lists four required properties:

It also lists optional ones, such as og:description. You don’t need to write any of this yourself in most tools. In BioFlow, you fill in your page title, description and sharing image, and the page handles the tags.

If you ever want to look, you can view your page’s source in a desktop browser and search for og:image.

Image sizes: convention, not rule

Here’s something that surprises people: the protocol doesn’t set a pixel size. You’ll often see 1200 × 630 pixels recommended, a ratio of about 1.91:1. That’s a convention that has grown up because it displays well across platforms, not a rule in the Open Graph specification. Each platform crops in its own way, and some use square images in some contexts.

Practical advice:

• Start at around 1200 × 630. It’s a safe, widely used choice.
• Keep your important content in the middle, in case the edges are cropped.
• Use little or no text. Previews can be small, and text gets hard to read.
• Avoid fine detail. A clear face, logo or product reads better.
• Keep the file small, so that apps can fetch it quickly.
• Check contrast. The image will appear next to the app’s own colours, in light or dark mode.

Good choices include a clear portrait, your logo on a plain background, or one strong product photo.

Setting your sharing image

In BioFlow, the sharing image goes in your page’s SEO settings. It has to be no bigger than 2 MB, and between 200 and 4096 pixels on each side, so a 1200 × 630 image fits.

1. Open your page in Link in Bio.
2. Go to the SEO settings.
3. Add your page title and description.
4. Upload your sharing image.
5. Save and publish.

The Page Audit tells you if your sharing image is missing or invalid, among other things, and we cover what else it checks in our guide to page titles and descriptions.

This image is separate from your profile picture and header image. For guidance on those, see choosing a header image. For an overview of what else you can control, see BioFlow’s features.

Why previews stay stale

You’ve updated your image, but the old preview keeps appearing. It’s rarely a bug in your page.

Apps and social platforms keep a copy of what they fetched, so they don’t have to fetch it again each time. Here’s how it usually plays out:

• Old messages don’t update. A preview already sent in a chat stays as it was.
• Platforms keep their own copy for a while, and different platforms refresh at different times.
• Your own phone may also cache it. Sometimes testing from another device shows the new one.

What you can do:

• Wait. Many caches refresh on their own.
• Use the platform’s debugging tool, if it has one. Facebook and LinkedIn have tools for checking a link and refreshing what they’ve stored. Both require you to sign in.
• Test with a harmless variation. Adding a tag such as ?v=2 to the address can trigger a fresh fetch in some apps. Don’t use that address as your permanent link, though.

So set your image before you start sharing widely. Changing it later won’t fix links that are already out there.

Testing a shared link

Test where your audience will really see it.

1. Publish your page, because a draft may not be reachable.
2. Paste the address into a chat with yourself, or a test group, in WhatsApp.
3. Do the same in LinkedIn’s post box, without posting.
4. Check Facebook or Slack, if your audience uses them.
5. Look at how it appears in both light and dark mode, if you can.

Check three things: Is the image cropped sensibly? Is the title your actual title? Does the description make sense? If you’re a personal brand, this card often makes the first impression, as we discuss in automation for personal brands. If you share the same address across lots of channels, our cross-platform guide helps you keep things consistent.

These tags can also help how you appear in search-adjacent places, but don’t expect a ranking benefit. We’re realistic about that in link in bio SEO.

Do you need a Twitter card too?

X (formerly Twitter) has its own card tags, such as twitter:card. It’s widely understood to fall back on Open Graph tags if its own are missing, but it’s worth testing on the platform if X matters to your audience. If your image looks wrong there, check whether your tool offers a separate setting.

FAQ

What size is an Open Graph image?

The Open Graph protocol doesn’t set a size. Around 1200 × 630 pixels is the common convention, because it displays well on most platforms. Keep your main subject in the centre, so that cropping won’t hurt it. In BioFlow, the sharing image can be up to 2 MB, and 200 to 4096 pixels on each side.

Why is my preview not updating?

Apps and platforms usually store a copy of what they fetched earlier, so an updated image won’t appear straight away. Previews in old messages won’t change at all. Waiting often solves it. Facebook and LinkedIn also offer tools for refreshing their stored copy. Try testing from a different device, too.

Do I need a Twitter card?

Usually not as a separate job. X is widely understood to use Open Graph tags when its own card tags are missing, so a good Open Graph setup often works there. If X matters to your audience, share a test link and check it. If it looks wrong, look for any specific card setting in your tool.

Check it in a chat

Paste your page’s address into a message to yourself right now. If the card looks wrong, you know what to do next. You can add a sharing image in BioFlow as part of your page settings.