Publication and Update Dates, Done Properly
The dates shown on articles and guides, and the structured data behind them, telling readers and search engines when content was published and last meaningfully changed.
Dana Whitfield
Why does it matter?
Readers judge whether advice is still current by its date, and Google publishes guidance on showing dates clearly and not refreshing them artificially.
What are the numbers?
- Google guidance show a clear visible date and use datePublished and dateModified in structured data
- Consistency the visible date and the structured data should agree
- Time zones include a time zone when a date includes a time
- Artificial freshening Google advises against updating dates without significant changes
What should I do?
- Show both published and updated dates on evergreen content
- Update the modified date only after substantial changes
- Keep a short change note for significant revisions
- Review dated content on a schedule
- Generate structured data dates from the same source as visible dates
What should I avoid?
Avoid:
- Changing dates to make old content look new
- Hiding dates on content where currency matters
- Different dates in the byline, sitemap and structured data
- Updating dates for spelling fixes
When should I get help?
Short answer Bring in help when a large archive has inconsistent or missing dates, or when content in regulated areas needs a documented review cycle.
Where this comes from
- Google Search Central — Influence the byline dates in Google Search
- Schema.org — Article
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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