How Google Chooses the Date Shown in Search Snippets

Google picks the date for a snippet from signals on the page, mainly a clearly visible date and matching structured data, and it ignores dates that look inconsistent or untrustworthy. Keep a visible date, make your markup match it and update the date only when you genuinely change the content. Faking freshness tends to backfire.

Where Google finds dates

It looks at the date visible on the page and at structured data such as datePublished and dateModified. When these disagree, or no clear date exists, Google may show a different date or none at all.

How to help Google get it right

Show a clear publish date and, if relevant, an updated date on the page.
Use the same dates in your structured data.
Use a consistent date format.
Do not place unrelated dates, such as copyright years, near the content.

Rather have an expert do this for you?

Hand it over and get back to running your business.

Hand it over to me

Do not fake updates

Changing the date without changing the content misleads readers and is against the spirit of search guidelines. Update the date when you make real, meaningful improvements.

Structured data for articles

Include accurate dates in your markup. See Article and BlogPosting schema and create code using the schema markup generator.

When updates are worth showing

Time-sensitive topics benefit from a visible last-updated date. Evergreen pages may not need one. For a plan to refresh older articles, read the content audit guide.

Preview your snippet

Check how your result will look in the SERP Snippet Preview.

Frequently asked questions

Does a newer date improve rankings?

No. Genuine improvements matter, not the date itself.

Why is the wrong date showing?

Conflicting dates on the page are the usual cause.

Next steps

If your snippets show wrong dates, contact me here for a review.

More in this series (search snippet questions): start with Free SERP Snippet Preview, then explore: