When you share a link on LinkedIn, the preview can make or break your engagement. Posts with optimized link previews see 2-3x higher click-through rates compared to those with broken or missing previews. Yet many professionals still struggle with images not showing up, titles getting cut off, or descriptions appearing incorrectly.
LinkedIn Post Inspector is the solution. This free tool ensures your shared links look professional and compelling before you post them. With over 3 billion content shares on LinkedIn annually, getting your preview right isn’t optional – it’s essential for standing out in the feed.
LinkedIn Post Inspector is a free debugging tool that analyzes how your web content will appear when shared on LinkedIn. Think of it as a preview generator that shows you exactly what your audience will see before you hit “post.”
The tool was launched by LinkedIn in 2018 to improve user experience and help content creators optimize their shared links. It’s available to everyone without requiring a LinkedIn login, making it accessible regardless of your subscription level.
LinkedIn uses Open Graph (OG) meta tags to extract information about your content. These HTML tags tell LinkedIn what title, image, and description to display in the preview.
Essential Open Graph tags:
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Page Title" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Your page description" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yoursite.com/image.jpg" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://yoursite.com/page" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />How LinkedIn reads these tags:
LinkedIn caches link preview data for up to 7 days to improve loading times. This means if you update your content, LinkedIn might still show the old version until the cache expires.
Cache behavior:
This is why using Post Inspector is crucial when you’ve recently updated your content’s title, image, or description.
Navigate to linkedin.com/post-inspector in your browser.
No login required – the tool is completely free and accessible to everyone.
Paste the complete URL you want to inspect in the text field.
Examples of URLs to test:
The tool analyzes your URL and generates a preview within seconds.
You’ll see exactly how your content will appear when shared, including:
Check for common issues:
If you spot issues, update your page’s meta tags and run the inspector again to refresh LinkedIn’s cache.
LinkedIn’s image requirements for 2025:
| Specification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 1.91:1 (recommended) |
| Dimensions | 1200x627 pixels (optimal) |
| Minimum size | 200 pixels width |
| Maximum file size | 5MB |
| Formats | JPEG, PNG, GIF |
Image optimization tips:
Common image problems:
Title optimization:
Description best practices:
Example of good vs. poor optimization:
Poor example:
Title: "Blog Post"
Description: "This is a blog post about marketing."Optimized example:
Title: "5 LinkedIn Marketing Strategies That Increased Our Leads by 340%"
Description: "Discover the exact tactics we used to transform our LinkedIn presence and generate 500+ qualified leads in 90 days. Includes free templates."Symptoms:
Solutions:
Quick fix:
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yoursite.com/images/preview.jpg" />
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" />
<meta property="og:image:height" content="627" />Symptoms:
Solutions:
Symptoms:
Solutions:
<head> sectionCommon causes:
<head> sectionWordPress users: Install an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO to automatically generate Open Graph tags.
Test different elements to improve performance:
Title variations:
Image variations:
Description variations:
For content sites, implement dynamic tags that automatically generate based on content:
Blog posts:
<meta property="og:title" content="{{post_title}}" />
<meta property="og:description" content="{{post_excerpt}}" />
<meta property="og:image" content="{{featured_image}}" />Product pages:
<meta property="og:title" content="{{product_name}} - {{brand_name}}" />
<meta property="og:description" content="{{product_description}}" />
<meta property="og:image" content="{{product_image}}" />While focusing on LinkedIn, consider how your Open Graph tags appear on other platforms:
Cross-platform compatibility:
| Platform | Image Ratio | Title Length | Description Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.91:1 | 150 chars | 200 chars | |
| 1.91:1 | 60 chars | 300 chars | |
| 2:1 | 70 chars | 200 chars | |
| 1.91:1 | No limit | 300 chars |
Combine Open Graph with Schema.org markup for better search visibility:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Your Article Title",
"description": "Your article description",
"image": "https://yoursite.com/image.jpg"
}
</script>Tools for managing Open Graph at scale:
Screaming Frog SEO Spider: $259/year
SEMrush: Starting at $119/month
Ahrefs: Starting at $99/month
When you need immediate cache updates:
Method 1: URL parameters Add dummy parameters to force re-scraping:
https://yoursite.com/post?v=2025Method 2: Post Inspector Use LinkedIn’s tool for official cache clearing.
Method 3: Timestamp parameters Add current timestamp for guaranteed uniqueness:
https://yoursite.com/post?refresh=1641983247<meta property="og:title" content="Title>name instead of propertyTrack the impact of your optimized previews:
Key metrics:
LinkedIn native analytics:
External tools:
Google Analytics: Free
Bitly: Free tier available
LinkedIn Post Inspector is more than just a debugging tool – it’s your secret weapon for creating compelling content previews that drive engagement and clicks.
Key takeaways:
Remember that great previews support great content, but they can’t save poor content. Use Post Inspector as part of a broader content strategy that prioritizes value, relevance, and authenticity.
Your link previews are just one part of a complete LinkedIn optimization strategy that should include professional URL formatting and strategic content formatting.
The most successful LinkedIn marketers use Post Inspector proactively, not reactively. They test every link, optimize every preview, and continuously improve their approach based on performance data.
Whether you’re sharing blog posts, promoting events, or driving traffic to landing pages, optimized link previews are essential for maximizing your LinkedIn content’s impact.
Combine optimized previews with strategic hashtag use and proper content formatting for maximum engagement.
Need help building a team that creates engaging content consistently? FidForward connects you with top content marketing talent quickly, helping you build a strong digital presence beyond LinkedIn’s platform limitations.