Why “Last Updated” Dates Matter for SEO

The value of including publish and “last updated” dates on your website’s content often gets overlooked, yet these seemingly small details provide rich search visibility and content credibility helping boost your content’s performance in search rankings.

If you publish blog posts or pages that get regularly updated over time, including a visible update date can give you an edge in search results and help visitors trust what they’re reading. 

Here’s why showing “last updated” dates on your site matters, and how to make the most of them on your Dirigible Site.

Search Engines Use Freshness as a Ranking Signal

Search Engines’ algorithms take “freshness” into account when ranking content, especially for time-sensitive or evolving topics. If a search engine like Google sees that a page was recently updated, it’s more likely to consider that page relevant and reliable.

Dirigible sites have built-in, structured data like datePublished and dateModified to automatically send Search Engines the right signals. Search Engines pay attention to both what is encoded behind the scenes and what users can see on the page itself. Looking at your own site’s content, make sure the information is present both in structured data and visible on the page to ensure appropriate ranking with search engines and credibility with users.

Dates Build Trust & Improve Click-Through Rates

If your listing shows “Updated September 2025” while a competitor’s content appears to be from 2021, users are more likely to trust and click the newer-looking option. Once visitors land on the page, a displayed updated date reinforces credibility, reassuring them they’re not reading outdated information. This signals to readers (and search engines) that your content is being maintained.

When to Show a “Last Updated” Date

Make sure you include a visible update date when:

• You publish content about evolving standards, laws, or regulations
• You’re in a fast-moving industry like tech, healthcare, compliance, etc.
• Your competitors keep their content regularly updated
• You want your blog posts or resources to look current and trustworthy

We get it, it can be tough to update your content regularly, and with those old dates showing up, your content may look outdated even if the information is still valid. In these cases, you may choose to hide the visible date.

How to Show Dates on Your Dirigible Site’s Content

We recommend including both structured data (on the backend) and a visible date (on the frontend) to keep content aligned with SEO best practices. With your Dirigible site, we’ve conveniently built-in date data to always be included in the structured metadata so that you don’t have to worry about backend visibility.

To add or update a visible date:

1. Open the post or page on your Dirigible site.
2. Looking at the right Settings Panel, update the Publish line near the top and update the publish date as needed.
3. Scroll down to the Display tab and set Post Meta to “Show” to display the publish and/or last updated date on the frontend.
   • If your content is infrequently updated, you can select “Hide” here instead.

4. Save and/or publish your changes.

Don’t Let Your Content Go Stale

Adding a visible “last updated” date is one of the simplest ways to signal your content as fresh and credible to both search engines and your readers. It can be the difference between getting the click or getting overlooked in competitive search results.

With Dirigible, you have the tools to keep your content and your site looking sharp, current, and SEO-friendly. If you’re regularly updating blog posts or refreshing key pages, displaying that date shows your audience that you’re paying attention. So add those dates, make those tweaks, and stay ahead of the curve.