Changing your content’s publish date to make it look fresh is about as effective as putting on a fake moustache and claiming you’re a different person. Yes, Google might glance at you twice, but they’ll spot the dodgy disguise faster than your mum would.

I’ll be honest – I’ve done the whole “update publish date” thing myself. Back in 2020, I wrote a post called “End of year content ideas – 11 easy posts for December“. But here’s the thing – every year since then, I’ve properly rewritten it. New examples, updated strategies, fresh perspectives based on what’s actually working now. That’s not just changing the date – it’s creating genuinely fresh content that deserves a new timestamp.

How Google Actually Detects Content Freshness

Google isn’t fooled by simple timestamp changes. They look at multiple signals to determine if content is genuinely fresh:

Content Changes

Significant updates to core content
New examples and case studies
Updated statistics and data
Removal of outdated information
Addition of new sections or insights

User Interaction Signals

Fresh comments and discussions
New social shares
Updated backlinks
Recent user engagement patterns

Technical Updates

Changes to important page elements
Updates to structured data
New internal linking patterns
Modified meta info (when accompanied by actual content changes)

How Often Should I Update My Content?

Not all content needs updating every week. Your ‘About Us’ page probably doesn’t need monthly rewrites (unless you’ve got some seriously exciting office drama going on). But some content is going to do you some reputational and SEO harm if you don’t keep it fresh.

Update Regularly

These need proper, roll-up-your-sleeves updating because they change faster than British weather:

Tech industry news and developments
Digital marketing strategies and tools
Industry regulations and compliance
Market analysis and trends
Software and platform features

Update When Needed

Some content needs updating when there’s a genuine reason – not because your calendar reminder went off or because someone told you content must be updated monthly. Here’s what to update when there’s actually something new to say:

Case studies and testimonials
Service descriptions and methodologies
Industry best practices
How-to guides and tutorials
Company news and developments

Update Less Frequently

Not everything on your site needs constant tweaking. Some content is like a good pair of jeans – it just works, and messing with it too much only makes it worse. Here’s what you can generally leave alone unless something significant changes:

Company history and background
Core service descriptions
Basic industry concepts
Foundational how-to content
Evergreen resources

A Quick And Dirty Content Audit To See If Content Needs Updating

Before updating anything, follow this process to identify what actually needs refreshing:

1. Stocktake (Or Content Inventory)

Before you start updating anything, you need to know what you’ve actually got. Think of it like sorting out your kitchen cupboards – you need to know what’s in there before you can decide what needs chucking out and what just needs a refresh. This isn’t the fun part (when is stocktaking ever fun?), but it’s crucial if you want to stop wasting time updating content that’s working perfectly well while ignoring the stuff that’s actually going mouldy.

List all your content
Note original publish dates
Record last update dates
Tag content by type and topic

2. Performance Analysis

Once you know what content you’ve got, it’s time to see how it’s performing. There’s no point updating content that’s already doing brilliantly (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), and equally, there’s no point simply polishing content that’s performing so badly you’re embarrassed to look at it – that needs a complete rewrite.

Using your analytics tools, here’s what to check:

Check Google Analytics for traffic patterns
Review search console data for ranking changes
Analyze conversion rates over time
Monitor bounce rates and time on page

3. Relevance Check

Now comes the brutal honesty part – is your content still telling the truth? This isn’t about making things look fresh for Google; it’s about not misleading your users with outdated information. If you’re still talking about Meta Pixels instead of Conversion API, or referencing GDPR as ‘new legislation’, we need to have words.

Is the information still accurate?
Have industry standards changed?
Are examples and case studies current?
Do links still work and point to relevant resources?

Metrics That Show You Content Needs Updating

Watch for these indicators that content needs more than just a date change:

Traffic Patterns

Steady decline in organic traffic
Reduced time on page
Increasing bounce rates
Dropping conversion rates

Search Performance

Lost featured snippets
Declining search positions
Reduced click-through rates
Fewer impressions

User Behaviour

Increased exit rates
Reduced social shares
Fewer comments or interactions
More support queries about topics covered

Bad Content Updates vs Good Content Updates

Here’s what actual content refreshing looks like:

Bad Update

Changing “2024 Marketing Trends” to “2025 Marketing Trends” without updating the trends
Adding one new sentence to a 2,000-word guide
Just updating publish dates and timestamps
Swapping a few words but keeping old examples

Good Update

Adding new case studies and removing outdated ones
Updating statistics with current data
Rewriting sections to reflect industry changes
Adding new sections based on user questions
Updating examples with current, relevant ones

How Google Views Content Updates

Google uses something called Query Deserves Freshness (QDF). QDF is basically Google’s way of saying “some searches need newer content than others.”

Think about it – if someone’s searching for “who won last night’s match,” they want today’s news, not last week’s results. But if they’re searching for “how to boil an egg,” they don’t need content from the last 24 hours because eggs haven’t fundamentally changed their boiling needs since the dawn of time.

QDF is Google’s system for working out which searches need fresh content and which ones are happy with older, proven resources. It’s not just about dates – it’s about understanding when fresh really matters.

High QDF Impact

These topics need constant attention because they’re either tied to rapidly changing situations or your readers are making important decisions based on this information. Get these wrong, and you’re essentially giving yesterday’s racing tips – completely useless and potentially misleading.

Industry news and updates
Market trends and analysis
Tool and software reviews
Strategy guides and recommendations
Regulatory compliance content

Moderate QDF Impact

These topics still need attention, but you’ve got a bit more breathing room. While the fundamentals might stay steady, regular check-ups ensure you’re not missing important shifts or leaving outdated advice online. Keep an eye on these and update when genuine changes occur:

How-to guides and tutorials
Case studies and testimonials
Service comparisons
Industry best practices
Implementation guides

Low QDF Impact

These are your more foundational pieces – the steady anchors of your website content. They typically only need updating when something fundamental changes in your business or industry. While you should still review them periodically, these pieces can stay relevant for years if they’re written well in the first place.

Basic concept explanations
Company background information
Core service descriptions
Fundamental process documentation
Historical information

SEO Myth Debunked

Stop trying to trick Google with timestamp tweaks. They’ve been doing this since before some SEO “experts” were born. Instead, focus on keeping your content genuinely useful and up-to-date.

If you’re spending time changing publish dates instead of actually improving your content, you’re doing it wrong. Very wrong.

Remember – fresh content isn’t about the date stamp – it’s about providing current, relevant, helpful information to your users. Everything else is just playing silly buggers with the calendar.

Want help figuring out what content actually needs updating? Drop me a message about my 1:1 SEO sessions. No fake moustaches required.

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