mediumTrust & Authority

Article Pages Missing OpenGraph Article Metadata

Article pages are missing required OpenGraph article meta tags like og:type, article:author, or article:published_time.

By Seoxpert Editorial · Published May 3, 2026

Why it matters

OpenGraph article meta tags help platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google identify and display your articles correctly. They enable rich social previews and support Google News eligibility. Missing these tags can reduce visibility and trust signals for your content.

Impact

Without these tags, articles may not display proper author bylines or publish times in social shares and may be excluded from Google News.

How it's detected

An automated crawler checks article pages for the presence of og:type=article and article:author and article:published_time meta tags in the <head>.

Common causes

•CMS or site generator does not output OpenGraph article meta tags by default.
•Custom templates omit required OpenGraph tags for articles.
•Developers rely solely on JSON-LD and overlook OpenGraph requirements.
•Article metadata (author, publish date) is missing or unset in the CMS.

How to fix it

Add the following meta tags to the <head> of each article page: <meta property="og:type" content="article" />, <meta property="article:author" content="https://example.com/about/jane" />, and <meta property="article:published_time" content="2026-05-01T08:00:00Z" />. Most modern CMSs and SSR frameworks can generate these automatically if article metadata is set. Review your templates or plugins to ensure these tags are present.

Code examples

Missing OpenGraph article tags (problem)

<!-- Missing og:type, article:author, and article:published_time -->
<head>
  <title>Sample Article</title>
  <!-- No OpenGraph article meta tags -->
</head>

Correct OpenGraph article tags (fix)

<head>
  <title>Sample Article</title>
  <meta property="og:type" content="article" />
  <meta property="article:author" content="https://example.com/about/jane" />
  <meta property="article:published_time" content="2026-05-01T08:00:00Z" />
</head>

FAQ

Are OpenGraph article meta tags required if I already use JSON-LD?

Yes, OpenGraph tags are used by social platforms and Google News, so they should be present in addition to JSON-LD.

What should I use for the article:author meta tag value?

Use a URL pointing to the author's profile or about page, not just a name.

Can I automate adding these tags in my CMS?

Most modern CMSs and frameworks can generate these tags automatically if you set the article's author and publish date.

Will missing these tags affect my Google News eligibility?

Yes, Google News uses these OpenGraph tags as signals for article metadata.

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