Why Displaying Both “Date Published” and “Date Updated” Can Hurt Your CTR
If your articles show both “Date Published” and “Date Updated,” then this brief #SEO case study is for you. (Spoiler alert: It could seriously impact your CTR!) 😨
Recently, one website I worked on experienced a noticeable decline in CTR starting in late August—coincidentally, when the “Date Updated” feature was added to the page.
What Went Wrong?
In my experience, whenever both “Date Published” and “Date Updated” are present in the on-page content and schema markup, Google often becomes confused. Rather than using the most recent update, it tends to revert to the older published date in the search results.
In this specific instance, even though we made updates in 2024 and 2025, Google continued displaying the original 2021 publish date. This led searchers to assume the content was out-of-date, resulting in a -22% drop in CTR.
Recommended Actions ✅
- Choose to display just one date—either “Published” or “Updated.”
- Make sure your schema markup reflects only one date attribute to guide Google effectively.
- If your content undergoes frequent updates, showcase only the most recent update date to keep it relevant in search results.
Implementing this straightforward adjustment can boost your CTR instantly! 🚀
Have others encountered this issue on their websites? Let’s chat in the comments! 👇
2 responses to “How “Date Published” vs. “Date Updated” Can Tank Your CTR?”
This is a really insightful post! It’s interesting how something like the display of dates can significantly impact CTR. Your point about Google getting confused with both “Date Published” and “Date Updated” is compelling. It makes sense that if users see an older date, they might assume the content is stale, even if it’s been recently updated.
I completely agree with your recommendations: sticking to one date and ensuring the schema markup reflects that is crucial. This can definitely help streamline how search engines interpret the freshness of your content, which, as we know, is key for both relevance and ranking.
I haven’t personally experienced a major drop like the one you described, but I have noticed fluctuations in CTR when there are changes to how dates are presented in SERPs. It’s something worth keeping an eye on, especially for sites with frequently updated content. Thanks for sharing this valuable information! Looking forward to hearing if others have experienced similar issues.
This is a great observation and an important reminder of how seemingly small details can significantly impact our SEO efforts. The confusion about which date Google chooses to display is a real issue many site owners may overlook.
In addition to your recommendations, I think it’s worth noting the psychological aspect of search results. Users often equate more recent content with higher quality or relevance, so showcasing the published date might not only lead to clicks but also set the right expectations about the content’s freshness.
Furthermore, what might also help is A/B testing the effects of showing just the “Date Updated” versus “Date Published” across different articles. This data could provide further insights into user behavior and preferences, allowing for data-driven decisions on which formats yield the best CTR.
Lastly, ensuring the content itself is updated regularly and reflects current information is another key factor—it’s not just about how we display dates but also the value we offer through fresh, relevant content. Have you noticed any trends in CTR improvements based on the type of content updates made alongside these date adjustments?