Show "last updated" dates on blog posts
A visible "last updated" date tells readers how current an article is. For topics that change, like regulations, prices, software, or health advice, an old date makes people doubt the page, and a recent one reassures them. On a Dirigible site, posts show Last Updated on automatically once they've been edited on a later day; you only choose whether the date line appears (steps below).
Search engines read dates too. Google uses freshness when a search calls for recent information, and it recommends showing a date on the page that matches the date in the page's structured data.
When should you show the date?
Show it when:
- The topic changes: laws, standards, technology, pricing, or anything in a fast-moving industry.
- You keep the article up to date and want readers to see that.
- Competing articles show recent dates.
Consider hiding it on evergreen posts you rarely revisit, where an old date would put readers off even though the content still holds.
Does changing the date help SEO?
Only when the update is real. Google warns against changing dates to make a page look fresh when the content hasn't changed much.
- Don't move the publish date forward to make an old post look new.
- When you revise a post, make a meaningful change: new facts, a corrected step, an added section.
- Note what changed if it helps readers, for example "Updated with the 2026 filing deadlines."
On a Dirigible site
Dirigible already does the behind-the-scenes part. Every blog post includes its publish date and last-modified date in the structured data search engines read. You only choose whether readers see them.
When the date line is on, a post shows Published on with its date. Once the post has been saved again on a later day, it also shows Last Updated on with that date. WordPress sets the updated date each time you click Update, so even a small edit moves it.
Show or hide dates on every post
- Go to Appearance → Customize → Blog & Posts → Post Pages.
- Turn Show Date on or off.
- Set Meta Position to Before Content to show the dates at the top of the post, or After Content to show them at the end.
- Click Publish.
Blog & Posts → Post Defaults → Meta sets whether posts show their date line by default. See Set up a blog page in WordPress for the other post page settings.
Show or hide dates on one post
- Open the post in the editor.
- In the post sidebar, find the Display panel.
- Set Post Meta to Show or Hide. Default follows the site-wide setting.
- Click Update.
Post Meta also controls the other details in that line, such as categories and tags.
In the Columns and Hybrid post layouts, the date line sits beside the post and always shows, whatever Post Meta is set to. Turn off Show Date to remove the dates there.
These settings are for blog posts. Pages don't show a date line.