Will shared links have useful preview metadata?
It checks Open Graph identity, images, descriptions and measured image failures.
What Check Engine measures
Pages with readable content are checked for Open Graph values. Missing tags and tags without a title receive different explanations. A missing primary image is separate from an image supplied only through an image-URL subproperty. Measured image responses with HTTP status 400 or above are treated as dead after refusals are excluded. Missing descriptions are reported separately when the whole set of tags has not already been reported absent. For example, a measured image response with HTTP status 400 can be treated as dead after refusal handling.
The check reads Open Graph fields and saved image responses. A refused or unmeasured image stays uncertain. Check the served image before replacing its declaration.
How to read the result
Most missing fields are low severity, dead images medium and missing descriptions notices. Valid-looking metadata does not prove that every sharing service uses it or that a cached preview has refreshed.
Why it matters
A shared URL can carry its own title, image and description. Checking those fields separately helps locate whether an incomplete preview comes from missing metadata or a measured problem fetching the named picture.
How to fix it
Add accurate preview fields through the appropriate page template. Use a working image URL and confirm that the image is the one you intend to share. Keep page-specific titles and descriptions where useful. Review a sharing service's cached preview separately after fixing the source, since this check reads the page and saved response rather than clearing external caches.
How to fix a broken link preview
What we found in field audits
Problems in Social & sharing were found on 12 of the 14 sites we audited. These are area totals. Read the field-audit method.
Method note
backend/seo_engine/checks/social.py, open_graph, revision 0bb8e8d3.
Common questions
Can an Open Graph image error be reported without a dead page?
Yes. HTTP status 400 or higher can establish a dead preview image once refusals are excluded. Its page can still respond successfully.
Are missing Open Graph descriptions as serious as dead preview images?
No. The report rates dead images medium. Missing descriptions receive notices, and most other missing fields are low.
Does finding Open Graph tags guarantee the current sharing preview?
No. A cached preview can be stale despite correct metadata. The check cannot promise a service's current display.