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Advanced Features

Open Graph Link Preview for Short Links

When you scroll a long list of short links, the slug and destination URL often aren't enough to tell what each link actually leads to — especially for affiliate links, partner URLs or campaign destinations that look cryptic. URL Shortify's Open Graph Link Preview gives you a one-click visual card — title, description, image and source site for any link's destination — pulled live from the page's Open Graph metadata and shown in a modal without leaving the Links admin. It's included free from version 2.4.0, in both the free and PRO editions.

Every row on the Links page gets a Preview action. Click it and URL Shortify:

  1. Reads the destination URL's Open Graph metadata (og:title, og:description, og:image, og:site_name).
  2. Renders a visual preview card in a modal — much like the card a visitor sees when the link is shared on social media.
  3. Caches the metadata for 24 hours, so reopening the preview is instant.

It's the fastest way to confirm "is this link still pointing at the right page?" without opening the destination.

Open Graph link preview modal

Step 1 — Open the Links page

Go to URL Shortify → Links.

Step 2 — Click Preview

Hover over any link row. In the row actions (next to Edit, Copy Short Link and Statistics), click Preview.

Step 3 — Review the card

The modal shows:

  • Preview image — the destination page's og:image, or a placeholder if none is set.
  • Title — the destination's og:title, falling back to the HTML <title> tag.
  • Description — the destination's og:description, falling back to the <meta name="description"> tag.
  • Source site — the page's og:site_name, if defined.
  • Copy Target URL — copies the destination URL to your clipboard.
  • Open in New Tab — opens the destination in a new browser tab for full verification.

Step 4 — Close the modal

Click outside the card, press Esc, or use the close button in the top-right corner.

Why use the preview

Verify affiliate and partner links. Affiliate URLs often look like https://partner.example.com/aff?id=xyz&pid=1234, with no way to tell what they resolve to. The preview shows the destination as a visitor sees it, without sitting through the redirect.

Catch stale or broken destinations. If a destination has changed or gone, the preview shows the new content or an empty card. Paired with the Broken Link Checker, you get both automated detection and a quick eyeball check.

Confirm campaign targeting. Running several short links pointing at variants of a landing page? Preview each one to make sure it points where you intended before launch.

How caching and fetching work

  • Cache duration: Open Graph metadata is cached per link for 24 hours. The first Preview triggers a live fetch; previews within the next 24 hours read from cache instantly, and URL Shortify re-fetches automatically once the cache expires.
  • Fallbacks: If a destination doesn't expose Open Graph tags, URL Shortify falls back to the HTML <title> and <meta name="description">. If those are missing too, the modal shows placeholders rather than failing.
  • Permissions: Previews are available only to logged-in users with access to your WordPress admin — there's no public-facing exposure.
  • Security: Outbound fetches use a hardened HTTP client. URL Shortify rejects requests to private, loopback and link-local IP ranges so the feature can't be abused for server-side reconnaissance, follows no redirects, and caps the response size it downloads.

Conclusion

Open Graph Link Preview turns a wall of cryptic slugs into something you can verify at a glance, and it's free from version 2.4.0 in both editions. Use it as a pre-publish check before you share a short link in an email, social post or campaign. For continuous, automated monitoring of every destination, pair it with the Broken Link Checker.

FAQs

Where do I find the Open Graph preview?

On the URL Shortify → Links page. Hover over any link row and click the Preview action, which sits alongside Edit, Copy Short Link and Statistics. A modal opens with the destination's image, title, description and source site, plus buttons to copy the target URL or open it in a new tab.

No. It's included free in URL Shortify from version 2.4.0, in both the free and PRO editions. There's no separate setting to enable — the Preview action appears automatically on the Links page for any user with access to your WordPress admin.

Why does the preview show no image or the wrong title?

The card is built from the destination page's Open Graph tags. If the page has no og:image, the modal shows a placeholder; if it has no og:title, URL Shortify falls back to the page's <title>, and to <meta name="description"> for the text. A stale card usually means the cached copy is still within its 24-hour window and will refresh on the next fetch.

How long is preview data cached?

Each link's Open Graph metadata is cached for 24 hours. The first Preview click fetches it live from the destination; subsequent clicks within 24 hours read the cached copy so the modal opens instantly. After 24 hours, the next Preview re-fetches and re-caches automatically.

Yes. URL Shortify fetches destinations with a hardened HTTP client that rejects private, loopback and link-local IP addresses, follows no redirects, and limits how much of the response it downloads. This prevents the preview feature from being used for server-side reconnaissance or from exhausting memory on a hostile destination.

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