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GEO / AI Visibility

dateModified

dateModified is a structured freshness signal that helps crawlers and AI systems understand when content was last meaningfully updated.

dateModified is a structured freshness signal. It tells crawlers when the visible page content was last meaningfully changed.

It is especially useful for guides, reviews, product pages, medical/legal content, and any page where outdated information can reduce trust.

In the report, use this item as evidence. Do not treat it as a standalone rule unless the surrounding page context supports the same conclusion.

How to interpret it

  • The visible update date and structured dateModified value describe the same meaningful update.
  • The date changes only when the content changes in a way that matters to readers.
  • Important evergreen pages have a review process so stale information is not left untouched.

Article schema freshness example

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "AI Search Optimization Guide",
  "datePublished": "2026-01-15",
  "dateModified": "2026-05-09"
}

Common mistakes

  • Updating dateModified for tiny formatting edits.
  • Showing a recent structured date while the visible page content is clearly outdated.
  • Adding dateModified schema without a real freshness policy.

Useful references

Frequently asked questions

Should dateModified change for small edits?

It should change when the page content was meaningfully updated, not for trivial formatting changes.

Is a visible update date still useful?

Yes. Visible dates help users, while schema helps crawlers interpret freshness.

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