Publication Date
The visible date a piece of content was first published.
Key takeaways
- Publication Date is the visible date a piece of content was first published.
- Show the original publication date on articles and news.
- Avoid: hiding dates on content where timing matters.
What is Publication Date?
Visible publication dates (with matching datePublished schema) help engines understand recency and historical context. Hide them only when content is genuinely evergreen.
Why Publication Date matters for EEAT in 2026
A publication date tells readers and engines when content was written, which helps them judge whether it's still relevant. On time-sensitive topics, an undated page is hard to trust.
For a wider view of where this fits, see our full EEAT glossary or explore the Strategy and Audits service we run for clients.
How to apply Publication Date on your site
Knowing the concept is only half of it. Work through these steps in order to put Publication Date into practice on your own pages:
- Show the original publication date on articles and news.
- Add datePublished to the page's structured data.
- Keep the original date when you update, and add an updated date separately.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most sites that struggle with Publication Date fall into the same traps. Check your pages against each of these before moving on:
- Hiding dates on content where timing matters.
- Republishing old content with a new date to look fresh.
- Letting the visible date and the schema disagree.
Questions about Publication Date
The visible date a piece of content was first published.
A publication date tells readers and engines when content was written, which helps them judge whether it's still relevant. On time-sensitive topics, an undated page is hard to trust.
Start here: show the original publication date on articles and news. Then add datePublished to the page's structured data.
The most common is hiding dates on content where timing matters. Another is republishing old content with a new date to look fresh.