Should You Ever Remove The Date From Your Posts And Pages?
Quite a few months ago I read something online about removing the date from your Wordpress posts. The idea was simple... Since people trust newer, more up to date content, then wouldn't it be better to just remove the date from our posts. This would make our content appear to be more "evergreen" right?
Well, that was the subject of a post that I read several months ago. And after reading it I decided to give it a try.
At the time I had made quite a few changes to my www.makemoneyonline.zone website, so its hard to be specific about this. But after removing the date from my posts, I had a bit of a rise in traffic.
And this is also what some other website's have also reported.
However...
Google's Search Algorithm Evolves
I have recently seen a big drop in the level of my traffic. This could be because I haven't had time to blog quite so much as I did a few months ago. But I also wondered if it had something to do with removing the dates from my posts and pages?
Googles search algorithm changes all the time. And I just wonder if removing the dates from my posts might be seen as hiding something?
After doing a bit of research it would seem that many of the top blogs are opting to display a "last modified" date on their posts these days. This is basically to show Google that your content is still up to date and is still relevant.
So today I decided to bring back my published post dates as well as a "date modified" at the top of the post.
I'll keep you updated on what happens with my site, but I was interested to know what you think.
Should you ever remove the date from your WordPress posts? Could it negatively impact your search engine results?
What are your thoughts on the subject?
Recent Comments
34
I agree with @Labman, I would not remove dates. It shows how active your site is in general. As far as updating a post, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. I update my WA review as necessary since WA typically offers more value and it is a good idea to capture those changes because it is relevant. So, when it is relevant or necessary to update a blog post or page, simple edit the page or post and change the date right from page editor. This is very easy to do. I don't recommend updating the date for no reason, however, when it is necessary and relevant to change or update a post, most certainly update the date. In addition, I would do another "fetch as google" (which is now called something else, another topic) to let Google know the page was updated. This is something that Jay taught me a while back.
As others have said, I think there are positives and negatives to both. I personally like to be transparent and show the date, even if that makes it clear that some posts are dated. Thanks for the info about the WP Last Modified plugin which I'll start using.
Erica
I'm of the tribe that considers these dates extremely important as they do indicate the level of relevance at any given time. And while sometimes this may be of detriment (if you haven't had the time to make an update), overall it promotes the relevance of the information (the reader's gain).
For example, there are niches where stuff changes all the time. So, the date is both for the reader and the author. Meaning, if you don't keep dates on your posts at all time you may get discredited for spreading wrongful information.
It may be just subconscious. But I reckon it's absolutely enough to lose credibility over time as about 95% of our perceptions are based in the subconscious mind.
Whereas, if there's a date there and the information is clearly outdated and people can see that no such thing can happen.
So, overall I feel that removing the dates can actually harm you more than help you.
Moreover, anyone who seeks solid and accurate information to link back to, seek out the most credible one. And they have to be able to make sure that the information is relevant, which the dates indicate.
In that sense, I myself refrain from linking back to sites that do not display dates, apart from cases when those are huge authority sites. Then I don't care.
On that same note though, I've always seen an article with dates being as more trustworthy than the ones that lack that aspect about them.
That's just my opinion.
Cheers,
Carpe minutam,
Matiss
That's great, I really appreciate your info on the subject. I'm with you all the way on this one. I believe that I may have made a mistake in taking the advice of others and removing the dates on my site. But we'll see if I receive any extra Google love now that I pave put the dates back.
Have a great day,
Andrew
Interesting point. I would like to know how you go about showing update in your post. I use elementor is there a training video that can be reviewed on how to do this? Thank yo for this informative post. Be blessed.
To show the last updated date on your post I use a plugin called "WP Last Modified". Seems to work pretty well.
1. How do you add the 'last updated' feature?
2. The real issue is with the dates in SERPs. This is what people see when they search, so the date on the post itself is of a secondary importance. My guess is you could not remove them in SERPs. Or did you?
Yes, I removed the published date from my site and from SERPs with a plugin. I also added the last updated feature with a plugin too. The plugin is called "WP Last Modified".
Tried WP Last Modified Info plugin (Sayan Datta author) on two sites (different themes) and it does not show the 'last updated' feature. Wonder if that is the plugin you used.
I did actually modify posts for the test but just the old published date appears.
OK thanks, I shall try it, need this for posts that are 4 -5 years old, nobody would open them in SERPs. I guess when you apply it, it takes weeks to spread in SERPs.
There's pros and cons. People also want to know that the site is active. I think the dates can reflect that and be a positive thing.
I used to think differently when I wasn't committed to publishing regularly, but as long as you are, having the dates visible shouldn't be a problem.
Yeah, I am very much aware of the post date when I look at other peoples sites. But the question is, does Google care? There are case studies online showing a drop or increase in traffic, just by altering the published date. But we'll see what happens!
I think Google ultimately rewards those who treat the customer (website visitor) well. It may not be a huge spike in their algorithm directly, but if the dates effects your bounce rates or time on page, it could impact your rankings in the long term.
By a consensus here, it looks like most website visitors prefer to see dates because it illustrates relevance and activity level on a website. As a result, they may choose to bounce away from a site when they think the relevance is in question.
I know keeping the dates visible is a form of accountability, and some people don't want that accountability so they remove the dates, but it looks like it's the website visitors preference, and ultimately, we're in service to them, right?
Tiffany, I agree with you.
I have noticed that as a reader, I do not trust websites or articles that do not show dates for articles related to electronics, technology, internet or marketing or other topics that are continually changing and evolving.
If the website was about baking a cake in an regular oven or offering tips for painting a landscape, who cares what the date is?
I think the most important thing is to ensure that we are meeting our visitors needs.
You're right about the topic making the date more or less important. In the end, it's about satisfying the end user, which means Sam Walton was right that entrepreneurs have several bosses, right? LOLOL.
I would not remove the dates. People want to know how old a post is. Showing the last updated date is a good idea but I don't think Google cares. It is more for visitors to know that the post is still relevant.
Right, I know that people care about it. But in the tests that I have seen online, it would appear that Google cares about it too. May be something or nothing, but i'm using my site as a bit of a guinea pig, so we'll see!
See more comments
After thinking it over a bit, I asked myself , "Do I check the dates on the posts I read published by other people?" My honest answer was, "No, I don't," but maybe that's not the norm.
I don't pay much attention to the date BUT the posts just written are generally just posted. Right? Sooo I assume they are recent.