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What is Twitter Card?

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Definition​

Twitter Card is a metadata system for providing rich media experiences when sharing links on Twitter (now renamed to X). Normally, including a URL in a tweet displays only a simple link, but with Twitter Cards configured, it appears as a visually appealing card format with images, titles, and descriptions.

Twitter Cards are implemented with <meta name="twitter:xxx"> format tags in the <head> section of HTML documents. Similar to Open Graph, they provide features specific to the Twitter platform. Twitter supports four main card types, each with different purposes and layouts: Summary Card, Summary Card with Large Image, App Card, and Player Card.

Properly configured Twitter Cards significantly improve link click-through rates. Research shows that tweets with images have up to 150% higher retweet rates than text-only tweets. Twitter Cards have become an essential marketing tool, especially for news media, blogs, and e-commerce sites. Without Twitter Cards, your links can easily be ignored in the timeline.

Features​

  • Various Card Types: Choose appropriate cards for your content type among Summary, Summary with Large Image, App, and Player. Each type provides different layouts and functionality.
  • High Engagement: Links with Twitter Cards have 2-3 times higher click-through and retweet rates than regular links. Visual elements attract user attention.
  • Open Graph Compatible: If Twitter Card tags are absent, Twitter uses Open Graph tags as fallback. However, using Twitter Card-specific tags is recommended for optimal results.
  • Validation Tool Provided: Twitter provides an official tool called Card Validator to preview how cards will be displayed.
  • Rich Media Support: Player Cards allow videos and audio to play directly in the Twitter timeline, greatly enhancing user experience.

How to Use​

Here's how to effectively implement and utilize Twitter Cards.

Step 1: Choose Card Type Select the Twitter Card type that matches your content's nature. For blog posts or articles, Summary Card with Large Image is most effective. Large image cards also work well for product pages or portfolios. Use Player Cards for video content and App Cards for mobile app promotion.

Step 2: Add Basic Twitter Card Tags Add Twitter Card meta tags to the <head> section of your web page. At minimum, you must include four tags: twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:description, and twitter:image.

<head>
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="Complete Blog SEO Guide">
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="Practical SEO strategies to boost search rankings">
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/seo-guide.jpg">
</head>

Step 3: Include Additional Information Tags Adding your site's or author's Twitter account displays it on the card, helping gain followers. twitter:site is the website's Twitter account, and twitter:creator is the content author's account.

<meta name="twitter:site" content="@zerocoke">
<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@johndoe">

Step 4: Image Optimization Twitter Card images are very important. Summary Card requires minimum 120x120px (1:1 ratio), and Summary with Large Image requires minimum 300x157px (2:1 ratio). Optimal size is 1200x628px, and file size must be under 5MB. Supports JPG, PNG, and WEBP formats.

Step 5: Test with Card Validator Enter your URL into Twitter Card Validator (https://cards-dev.twitter.com/validator) to check if cards display correctly. Fix any errors immediately and retest. Preview shows how it will appear on actual Twitter.

Step 6: Use with Open Graph While Twitter prioritizes Twitter Card tags, it uses Open Graph tags if they're absent. Implement Open Graph as well for other social platform optimization. Using both is fine and recommended as best practice.

Examples​

Example 1: Summary Card with Large Image (Most Common)

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Backlink Building Strategy Guide</title>

  <!-- Twitter Card Basic Tags -->
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
  <meta name="twitter:site" content="@zerocoke">
  <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@johndoe">
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="Backlink Building Strategy: Reach Page 1 Rankings">
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="Learn effective backlink building methods and mistakes to avoid with real case studies.">
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://zero-coke.com/img/backlink-strategy.jpg">
  <meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="Backlink Building Strategy Infographic">

  <!-- Open Graph Together (for Other Platforms) -->
  <meta property="og:title" content="Backlink Building Strategy: Reach Page 1 Rankings">
  <meta property="og:description" content="Learn effective backlink building methods and mistakes to avoid with real case studies.">
  <meta property="og:image" content="https://zero-coke.com/img/backlink-strategy.jpg">
  <meta property="og:url" content="https://zero-coke.com/blog/backlink-strategy">
  <meta property="og:type" content="article">
</head>
<body>
  <!-- Page Content -->
</body>
</html>

Example 2: Summary Card (Small Image)

<head>
  <!-- Content Suited for Small Thumbnail -->
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary">
  <meta name="twitter:site" content="@mynewssite">
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="Today's SEO News Summary">
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="Google algorithm updates, search trends, industry news at a glance">
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/logo-square.jpg">
  <meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="News Site Logo">
</head>

Example 3: Player Card (Video Content)

<head>
  <!-- Card with Direct Video Playback -->
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="player">
  <meta name="twitter:site" content="@videosite">
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="Complete Guide to Blog Monetization (15 min)">
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="Earn $1000/month with your blog. From AdSense to affiliate marketing">
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/video-thumbnail.jpg">
  <meta name="twitter:player" content="https://example.com/embed/player?video=123">
  <meta name="twitter:player:width" content="1280">
  <meta name="twitter:player:height" content="720">
  <meta name="twitter:player:stream" content="https://example.com/video-123.mp4">
  <meta name="twitter:player:stream:content_type" content="video/mp4">
</head>

Example 4: App Card (Mobile App Promotion)

<head>
  <!-- Mobile App Download Promotion -->
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="app">
  <meta name="twitter:site" content="@myappcompany">
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="Blog Manager - View Blog Stats at a Glance">
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="Check your blog performance in real-time on mobile">
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/app-icon.png">

  <!-- iOS App Information -->
  <meta name="twitter:app:name:iphone" content="Blog Manager">
  <meta name="twitter:app:id:iphone" content="123456789">
  <meta name="twitter:app:url:iphone" content="blogmanager://open">

  <!-- Android App Information -->
  <meta name="twitter:app:name:googleplay" content="Blog Manager">
  <meta name="twitter:app:id:googleplay" content="com.example.blogmanager">
  <meta name="twitter:app:url:googleplay" content="blogmanager://open">
</head>

Example 5: E-commerce Product Page

<head>
  <!-- Product Page Optimization -->
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
  <meta name="twitter:site" content="@myshop">
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="Premium Wireless Earbuds XYZ-2000 - 50% Special Discount">
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="Noise canceling, 30hr playback. Today only $129 → $64.50">
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://shop.example.com/products/xyz-2000-promo.jpg">
  <meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="XYZ-2000 Wireless Earbuds Product Photo">

  <!-- Product Labels (Optional) -->
  <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Price">
  <meta name="twitter:data1" content="$64.50">
  <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Stock">
  <meta name="twitter:data2" content="Limited Quantity">
</head>

Example 6: News Article

<head>
  <!-- Card Optimized for News Article -->
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
  <meta name="twitter:site" content="@newsmedia">
  <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@journalist_kim">
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="2024 SEO Trends: AI Search Changes the Game">
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="Google's SGE and Bing's AI chat are fundamentally changing the search landscape. SEO strategies must evolve too.">
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://news.example.com/2024/ai-seo-trends.jpg">
  <meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="AI Search Engine Interface">

  <!-- Open Graph Article Tags Together -->
  <meta property="og:type" content="article">
  <meta property="article:published_time" content="2024-03-23T09:00:00+09:00">
  <meta property="article:author" content="Reporter Kim">
  <meta property="article:section" content="Technology">
</head>

Example 7: Event/Webinar Promotion

<head>
  <!-- Event Promotion Page -->
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
  <meta name="twitter:site" content="@eventorganizer">
  <meta name="twitter:title" content="2024 SEO Conference | Sept 15 COEX">
  <meta name="twitter:description" content="Practical know-how from 20 domestic and international SEO experts. 50% early bird discount!">
  <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://event.example.com/seo-conference-2024.jpg">
  <meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="SEO Conference 2024 Main Visual">

  <!-- Emphasize Key Information with Labels -->
  <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Date">
  <meta name="twitter:data1" content="September 15, 2024">
  <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Venue">
  <meta name="twitter:data2" content="COEX Convention Center">
</head>

Pros and Cons​

Pros​

  • Dramatically Increased Click-Through Rates: Links with Twitter Cards show 2-3 times higher click-through rates than regular links. Visually appealing cards attract user attention in the timeline.

  • Enhanced Brand Awareness: Professional brand expression with consistent images and messages. Twitter account information displays on cards, helping increase followers.

  • Rich Media Experience: Player Cards allow video playback directly on Twitter, letting users consume content without visiting your site. This greatly increases engagement.

Cons​

  • Additional Work Required: Adding separate Twitter Card tags beyond Open Graph increases workload. Optimizing all social platforms results in many meta tags.

  • Platform Dependency: Twitter Cards only work on Twitter (X). Other platforms require Open Graph or their own unique tags.

  • Image Creation Burden: High-quality images are essential for effective Twitter Cards. Creating or selecting appropriate images for each content requires time and resources.

FAQ​

Q: Should I use Twitter Cards or Open Graph? A: Best to use both. Twitter prioritizes Twitter Card tags and uses Open Graph tags as fallback if absent. However, Open Graph is used by Facebook, LinkedIn, KakaoTalk, and other platforms, so implement both. Twitter Card tags are for Twitter optimization, while Open Graph is for universal social media optimization.

Q: My Twitter Cards aren't displaying. Why? A: Several causes are possible: 1) Meta tag syntax errors - check with Card Validator. 2) Image size issues - verify minimum size requirements are met. 3) Image access blocked - ensure robots.txt doesn't block images. 4) HTTPS issues - use HTTPS URLs when possible. 5) Cache issues - recrawling URL in Card Validator may resolve it.

Q: What's the difference between Summary Card and Summary Large Image Card? A: Summary Card is a compact format with a small square thumbnail (120x120px+) displayed beside text. Mainly suitable for logos or icons. Summary Large Image Card displays a large rectangular image (1200x628px recommended) prominently at the top of the card. For most cases including blog posts, articles, and product pages, Summary Large Image is more effective. It has greater visual impact and much higher click-through rates.

Q: I changed Twitter Cards but changes aren't reflected. A: Twitter caches card information, so changes may not reflect immediately. Enter URL in Card Validator (https://cards-dev.twitter.com/validator) and click "Preview card" to recrawl with latest information. Cards on already tweeted links won't update, so important changes should be shared with new tweets. Twitter's cache typically persists for about 7 days.