Twitter Cards are meta tags that control how your content appears when someone shares a link to your website on X (formerly Twitter). Instead of displaying a plain URL, Twitter Cards show a rich preview with an image, title, description, and attribution — making your shared links far more engaging and clickable.
Types of Twitter Cards
There are two main types you will encounter:
- Summary Card — Shows a small thumbnail image alongside the title and description. Ideal for articles and blog posts.
- Summary Card with Large Image — Displays a large, prominent image above the title and description. Best for visual content, portfolios, and landing pages.
Required Meta Tags
Twitter Cards use specific meta tags placed in the <head> section of your HTML:
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Your Page Title" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="A brief description of your page." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@YourTwitterHandle" />Twitter Cards vs. Open Graph
Twitter Cards and Open Graph (used by Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp) serve the same purpose but use different meta tags. However, Twitter will fall back to Open Graph tags if no Twitter-specific tags are found:
og:titleis used iftwitter:titleis missing.og:descriptionis used iftwitter:descriptionis missing.og:imageis used iftwitter:imageis missing.
For best results, define both Open Graph and Twitter Card tags explicitly.
Why Twitter Cards Matter
- Higher click-through rates — Rich previews attract more attention than plain links.
- Brand consistency — You control how your content looks when shared.
- Better engagement — Images and descriptions provide context before the click.
- Professional appearance — Missing cards make shared links look incomplete.
How InspectWP Helps
InspectWP detects whether your WordPress site has Twitter Card meta tags configured. The report shows the detected twitter:card type, title, description, image, and site handle — so you can verify everything is set up correctly before sharing.