Article Date Checker: published and updated dates Google can read
Find every date in an article's code and check that the shown, markup and sitemap dates agree.
- Free to use
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
Paste an article's HTML to start
Every date on the page, in its markup, meta tags and sitemap appears here, with checks against Google's guidance and corrected dates to copy.
Want an expert to check this result?
Send it to us in one click. We read it and reply within one business day with what we would fix first.
Embed this tool on your websiteFree. Paste one code; it runs in your visitors' browsers.
Copy this code into a page of your site. The tool sets no cookies and sends nothing your visitors type to us. Change height="760" if it needs more room.
About the Article Date Checker
Paste the HTML source of a published article, or type its dates. The checker finds the dates readers see (in English and Hindi, with labels such as "Published" and "Updated"), time tags, datePublished and dateModified in the structured data, the article meta tags and, if you paste it, the sitemap lastmod. It checks them against Google's guidance on byline dates: a visible, labelled date, structured dates that match it, ISO 8601 with a time zone, no future dates and no new date without a real update. You get a list of every date, the fixes and corrected dates to copy. It runs in your browser: nothing is uploaded or fetched, and no AI is used.
How it works
-
01
Open the published article, press Ctrl+U to view its source, copy all of it and paste it here. No HTML to hand? Type the dates as the page shows them instead.
-
02
If you like, paste the article's entry from your sitemap, say whether the article has changed substantially since it was published, and pick your site's time zone.
-
03
Fix what is marked to fix first, often a shown date that does not match the markup or a missing time zone, then copy the corrected dates into your page, markup and sitemap.
What Google asks for
Google does not rely on one date signal. It asks for a date readers can see, featured prominently and labelled "Published" or "Last updated"; datePublished and dateModified in Article markup, in ISO 8601 with a time zone; the same date in the visible text and in the markup; and no future dates or dates of events the page describes. Showing both the first and the updated date is fine when it is clear which is which.
Change the date only with a real update
Google's guidance on helpful, people-first content asks: "Are you changing the date of pages to make them seem fresh when the content has not substantially changed?" A sitemap lastmod is used only when it is consistently and verifiably accurate, and should reflect the last significant change to the main text or structured data, not to the footer or sidebar.
What this tool cannot do
It reads only the code you paste. It does not open your page, so it cannot see dates added by JavaScript or check what Google shows. Google uses several signals, so even correct dates do not guarantee which date appears in results. It reads JSON-LD and microdata, not RDFa, and dates written in numbers are read day first (05/06/2026 is 5 June). The statuses are our checklist, not Google's.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Google show a different date from my article?
Google looks at several factors to estimate when a page was published or significantly updated, so an unclear date, or dates that disagree, can lead to an unexpected one. Make the date under the headline, datePublished and dateModified in the markup, and the meta tags say the same. If the wrong date is still picked, Google suggests minimising other dates on the page.
Should I change the date every time I edit an article?
Only when the article changes substantially, for example new facts, sections, prices or steps. Google lists changing the date of pages to make them seem fresh, when the content has not substantially changed, as a sign of content made for search engines rather than people.
What format should datePublished use?
ISO 8601. A date alone (2026-03-05) is allowed, but Google recommends a time and time zone too, for example 2026-03-05T09:00:00+05:30 for 9 am in India. Without a time zone, Google uses the time zone Googlebot uses, so a late-evening date in India can fall on another day.
Do I need a lastmod date in my sitemap?
It is optional. Google uses lastmod only when it is consistently and verifiably accurate, so set it to the date of the last significant change, in W3C Datetime format, or leave it out rather than guess. Google's advice is not to let a sitemap set it to the current time every time the sitemap is made.
Can I show only a "Last updated" date?
Yes. Google asks you to label dates with text such as "Published" or "Last updated", and showing both is fine when it is clear which is which. Whatever you show, the markup should match it: dateModified for the updated date and datePublished for the first publication.
Related reading
Want help with your content?
Tell us about your site and what your articles and pages should bring in. We reply within one business day.
Talk to us Our service: Content and blog SEOMore content writing tools
All content writing tools- Claims and Sources Checker Find the numbers, "best" claims, guarantees and testimonials in your copy that need a source.
- Product Review Content Checker Check a review or "best" list for first-hand testing, pros and cons, and affiliate links.
- Duplicate and Doorway Page Checker Compare your city or service pages and find copies that only swap the area name.
- Article Link and Anchor Text Checker List every link in an article and fix generic anchors, missing sponsored and links Google cannot follow.
Want us to fix what the tool found?
Tell us about your business and what you want to grow. We reply within one business day with next steps, not a sales script.
- A reply within one business day
- A quick look at your site and search visibility before we talk
- Your details are only used to answer your enquiry