---
name: content-dates
description: "Use when auditing article or blog pages for date markup, generating Article JSON-LD with datePublished/dateModified, or checking whether a CMS template surfaces dates correctly."
metadata:
category: seo
priority: medium
difficulty: intermediate
estimatedTime: "10"
source: frontendchecklist.io
url: https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/seo/content-dates
---
# Show published and updated dates
Google uses publication and modification dates to assess content freshness, which influences rankings for time-sensitive queries. Visible dates also build user trust by signalling that content is current and maintained.
## Quick Reference
- Include a visible published date and a `dateModified` in JSON-LD for every article or blog post
- Use ISO 8601 format (`2024-03-15T10:00:00Z`) in structured data; human-readable in the visible UI
- Update `dateModified` only when content meaningfully changes — not on trivial edits
## Check
On each article or blog page, check: (1) Is there a visible published date in the page body or byline? (2) Does the JSON-LD `Article` or `BlogPosting` block include `datePublished` and `dateModified` properties in ISO 8601 format? (3) Does the `` include `` and `` Open Graph tags?
## Fix
1. Add a visible publication date in the page byline: ``.
2. Add `datePublished` and `dateModified` to the Article JSON-LD block:
```json
{
"@type": "Article",
"datePublished": "2024-03-15T10:00:00Z",
"dateModified": "2024-11-20T14:30:00Z"
}
```
3. Add Open Graph article time tags to ``:
```html
```
4. Ensure your CMS or build system updates `dateModified` automatically on content saves.
## Explain
Google's freshness algorithm rewards recently published or updated content for time-sensitive queries. Structured date markup lets Google confidently surface the correct date in search snippets; without it, Google must guess from page text or HTTP headers, often producing wrong or missing dates.
## Code Review
Verify that Article or BlogPosting JSON-LD includes both `datePublished` and `dateModified` in ISO 8601 format. Check that `