Optimizing your website's presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is crucial for increasing engagement and attracting more visitors. Let's explore how you can efficiently manage Facebook Open Graph (OG) and Twitter Cards metas globally and individually for each post or page.
Global Setup: Activating Open Graph and Twitter Cards
To enhance your website's social media presence and improve sharing capabilities, make sure to enable the Open Graph and Twitter Cards features.
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Go to SiteSEO -> Social Networks.
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Enable the 'Social Networks - SiteSEO' feature if it's not already enabled.
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Under the Facebook tab, check 'Enable OG data' for Facebook sharing.
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Optionally, set a global default image to use when a post, page, or post type lacks an image.
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Repeat the same process for Twitter Cards and click "Save changes" to apply the settings globally.
Individual Customization: Tailoring Metadata for Specific Posts
To make your posts stand out on social media, consider customizing metadata for specific content. Edit a post, page, or post type and access the SEO metabox.
You can tailor the following for Facebook
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Edit your post, page, or post type.
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In the SiteSEO metabox, navigate to the Social tab.
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Facebook Description (using the excerpt or the beginning of your content if empty).
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Facebook Thumbnail (defaulting to the post thumbnail if empty).
Similarly, for Twitter, you can personalize:
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Twitter Title (using the post title if empty).
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Twitter Description (drawing from the excerpt or the beginning of your content if empty).
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Twitter Thumbnail (defaulting to the post thumbnail if empty).
Don't forget to save the post to apply the customized metadata, ensuring each piece of content shines on Facebook and Twitter.
Understanding the og:image
To ensure your content displays attractively on social media, the og:image (Open Graph image) plays a crucial role. The priority order for selecting the image is as follows:
Custom OG Image from SEO Metabox:
If you've set a custom Open Graph
image for a specific post or page in the SEO metabox, it takes
precedence.
Post Thumbnail / Product Category Thumbnail:
In the absence of a custom
OG image, the post thumbnail or product category thumbnail is used.
First Image of Your Post Content:
If no post thumbnail or product
category thumbnail is available, the first image within your post's
content is used.
Global OG Image from SEO Settings: As a fallback option, if there are no
custom OG images, post thumbnails, or images in your content, the
global OG image set in SEO > Social > Open Graph will be used.
By following these strategies, you can optimize your website's Open Graph and Twitter Cards settings, ensuring your content is visually appealing and shareable on social media. This approach leads to increased engagement, greater visibility, and broader reach for your website's content.