LinkedIn Post Inspector: Fix Previews and Boost Engagement
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Sharing a link on LinkedIn should be simple, but broken previews often get in the way. Wrong images, outdated titles, or missing descriptions can quietly hurt clicks and credibility.
The LinkedIn post inspector solves this problem by showing exactly how your link will appear. With Valley, teams use it to catch preview issues early and protect engagement.
In this guide, you’ll learn how the LinkedIn post inspector works, why previews break, and how to fix common issues before they impact your post’s performance.
What Is LinkedIn Post Inspector?
LinkedIn Post Inspector is a free tool that lets you preview how shared links will appear on LinkedIn. It checks your website’s metadata and shows what images, titles, and descriptions the platform pulls.
Purpose And Features
The tool helps you avoid posting links that look broken or unprofessional. When you share a website link on LinkedIn, the platform grabs page data to create a preview card. Sometimes this preview shows the wrong image, displays outdated text, or fails to load properly. The LinkedIn post inspector lets you catch those issues before your audience sees them.
You can confirm whether your Open Graph meta tags are set up correctly. The tool also refreshes LinkedIn’s cache, which helps when you’ve made recent site changes. It identifies missing or incorrect metadata before your audience sees it. This saves you from deleting posts and resharing them just to fix the preview.
You can validate multiple links quickly without publishing anything to your profile. That makes the LinkedIn Post Inspector a practical step in your posting checklist.
How It Works
Paste your URL into the Post Inspector tool on LinkedIn’s website. The tool crawls your webpage the same way LinkedIn does when someone shares a link.
It reads the HTML and pulls information from your meta tags, including og:title, og:description, and og:image. Then the inspector displays a preview of how your link will look in a LinkedIn post.
If something looks wrong, fix the metadata on your website and run the inspector again. The tool clears LinkedIn’s cached version of your page and fetches the updated information. You don’t need technical skills to use it. The interface shows you what LinkedIn sees when it scans your URL.
Supported Content Types
The Post Inspector works with any webpage URL you want to share on LinkedIn. This includes blog posts, landing pages, product pages, news articles, and company websites.
You can use it for links to your own content or external websites. The tool validates URLs from any domain as long as the page is publicly accessible. It can’t inspect links that require a login or are blocked by robots.txt files. It focuses on link previews, not native LinkedIn posts like uploaded images or videos.
Why Use LinkedIn Post Inspector?
LinkedIn Post Inspector helps you control how links appear when shared on the platform. It also fixes metadata problems that can hurt performance and lower click-through rates.
Previewing And Debugging Posts
You can see exactly how your content will look before you share it with your network. The Post Inspector acts like a preview window for the title, description, and image. This saves you from posting content that looks broken or unprofessional. When you paste a URL into the tool, it shows what LinkedIn reads from your page.
You can catch issues like missing images, cut-off titles, or wrong descriptions early. That means you won’t need to delete and repost content because it didn’t look right. If you made changes to your webpage’s metadata, re-run the inspector. You can confirm LinkedIn now reads those changes correctly.
Identifying Metadata Issues
LinkedIn Post Inspector shows which pieces of metadata are missing or incorrect. It reads Open Graph tags, which control how links appear on social media platforms.
You’ll see whether og:title, og:description, or og:image are missing or malformed. The tool points to what’s wrong instead of forcing you to guess.
Maybe your image is too small, or your description is blank. You get a clear list of what needs fixing so you can update the page confidently.
Once you fix the metadata, the LinkedIn post inspector confirms LinkedIn can read it. That’s especially useful when multiple pages share the same template.
Enhancing Social Sharing
Better-looking link previews get more clicks and engagement from your audience. When posts show the right image and a clear title, people are more likely to stop scrolling.
A strong description tells people why they should click your link. The right preview image catches attention in busy feeds.
The tool also helps you maintain consistency across shared content. Each link you share can look polished when you check it before you post.
How To Use LinkedIn Post Inspector
The LinkedIn Post Inspector checks link previews before you share them. You can fix metadata issues and make sure your content looks right to your audience.
Accessing The Inspector
You can find the LinkedIn Post Inspector by going to linkedin.com/post-inspector in your browser. No special login is required beyond your regular LinkedIn account. The tool is free to use for all LinkedIn members. It works on desktop and mobile, though desktop makes it easier to review details.
No need to download software or browser extensions. Some people call it the LinkedIn Object Debugger or LinkedIn Preview Validator. Bookmark the page so you can access it quickly when you need to check a link. That small habit can prevent avoidable preview mistakes.
Step-By-Step Usage Guide
Open the Post Inspector page and find the URL input field at the top. Copy the full URL of the page you want to check. Paste it into the field and click the inspect button. The tool will crawl your link and pull the preview data.
This usually takes a few seconds. You’ll see how your link will appear when someone shares it on LinkedIn. If you changed your page’s metadata, you may need to re-inspect the URL. LinkedIn caches preview data, so old information can show up at first.
The Post Inspector refreshes the cache and fetches fresh data from your page. Use these key steps for consistent results:
Paste your complete URL, including https://
Click the inspect or submit button
Wait for the crawl to complete
Review the preview that appears
Make fixes to your page if needed
Re-inspect to confirm changes
Interpreting Inspection Results
The results show three main pieces of information: title, description, and preview image. These usually come from Open Graph tags, or sometimes from standard HTML tags.
What to check:
Element | What to Look For |
Title | Clear, accurate, under 70 characters |
Description | Compelling text, under 200 characters |
Image | Displays correctly, recommended size 1200x627 pixels |
Missing or broken elements can appear as blank spaces or error messages. If your image doesn’t load, confirm the image URL is public and accessible.
Wrong or outdated text usually means your meta tags need updating. Edit the tags in your page’s HTML, then run the LinkedIn post inspector again.
Best Practices For Optimizing LinkedIn Posts
Strong LinkedIn performance depends on details that shape how your content appears. Your titles, images, and technical setup can make a big difference in engagement.
Crafting Engaging Titles And Descriptions
Your title needs to grab attention in the first few words. LinkedIn can shorten previews, so put the most important information up front. Use clear language that tells people what they’ll get when they click. Questions can work well because they spark curiosity.
Numbers and specific details often perform better than vague statements. Keep descriptions around 100 to 150 characters when possible. Avoid clickbait that promises more than the page delivers. Make sure your preview matches the actual content on the linked page.
Optimizing Images For LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommends images that are 1200 x 627 pixels for the best display. That 1.91:1 aspect ratio helps your image show correctly on desktop and mobile.
Keep your image file under 5MB and use PNG or JPG. Large files can cause loading issues or fail to display in preview cards.
Place important elements near the center. LinkedIn can crop images differently across devices, and centered content stays visible. Use images with good contrast and clear subjects. Cluttered visuals tend to look weak in small preview cards.
Fixing Common Preview Problems
LinkedIn caches link previews, so outdated info can appear after you update a page. Use Post Inspector to refresh the cache before you publish your post.
Missing or incorrect metadata can break previews. Confirm your page includes Open Graph tags for title, description, and image. If your image doesn’t appear, verify the image URL is public and uses HTTPS. Also, check that robots.txt isn’t blocking LinkedIn’s crawler.
Sometimes previews show the wrong info because tags are misordered or misformatted. Make sure your Open Graph tags are properly formatted in the page header.
Troubleshooting Common LinkedIn Post Issues
Link previews don’t always work perfectly on LinkedIn. Images may not load, titles may be wrong, or older info may keep showing up.
Refreshing Link Previews
The Post Inspector tool lets you refresh how LinkedIn sees your link. Paste your URL into the inspector and click the inspect button.
LinkedIn will fetch the latest version of your page and show the updated preview. If it still looks wrong, wait a few minutes and inspect again. You should also confirm your page is live and accessible to LinkedIn’s crawler. Refresh works best after you’ve published updated Open Graph tags.
Correcting Outdated Metadata
Outdated metadata happens when LinkedIn cached your page before the changes. Your webpage may look correct, but LinkedIn still shows an older title or description.
Update the Open Graph meta tags in your page’s HTML. Look for og:title, og:description, and og:image in the head section. After updating tags, use the LinkedIn post inspector to force a re-scan. You may need to run it twice if the first attempt doesn’t pull the new data.
Handling Persistent Display Errors
Some display errors persist even after multiple refresh attempts. Your image may be the wrong size, or LinkedIn may not be able to access your page.
Confirm your image meets requirements and is at least 1200 x 627 pixels. Use JPG or PNG, and avoid images that are too small or overly compressed. Make sure your website doesn’t block LinkedIn’s crawler via robots.txt or server rules. If needed, your web host or developer can adjust settings to allow access.
Stop Broken Previews From Costing You Clicks
Broken previews are easy to miss, but they quietly reduce trust and engagement. Wrong images or outdated text can turn a strong post into a skipped one.
The LinkedIn post inspector gives you control over how every link appears. With Valley, teams use it as a final check to avoid posting mistakes. Book a demo to see for yourself!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is LinkedIn Post Inspector Used For?
LinkedIn Post Inspector is used to preview how a link will appear before sharing it on LinkedIn. It helps identify issues with images, titles, and descriptions pulled from your webpage.
Why Does My LinkedIn Link Preview Look Wrong?
Previews usually look wrong because of missing, outdated, or incorrect Open Graph metadata. LinkedIn may also be showing cached data from an earlier version of the page.
How Do I Refresh A Link Preview On LinkedIn?
Paste your URL into the LinkedIn Post Inspector and submit it. The tool forces LinkedIn to re-crawl your page and pull the latest metadata.
Does LinkedIn Post Inspector Change My Website Content?
No. The tool only reads your page’s metadata and refreshes LinkedIn’s cache. Any fixes must be made directly on your website.
Can I Use LinkedIn Post Inspector For Any URL?
You can inspect any publicly accessible webpage. Links behind logins, paywalls, or blocked by robots.txt cannot be previewed.
How Long Does It Take For Changes To Show Up?
In most cases, updates appear immediately after inspection. Sometimes it can take a few minutes for LinkedIn’s systems to fully reflect the changes.
Why Am I Seeing A “Too Many Requests” Error?
This happens when too many URLs are inspected in a short time. Waiting 15 to 30 minutes usually resolves the issue.
Is LinkedIn Post Inspector Free To Use?
Yes. LinkedIn Post Inspector is a free tool available to all LinkedIn users with no usage fees or downloads required.
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