Should You Remove the Date from WordPress Posts

You'll see plenty of advice/tutorials on removing dates from posts. Most of the tutorials are WordPress related. It begs the question, should you remove the date from WordPress posts?

When I see this, the first thought that pops into my head is:

Don't Do It!

Why?

Before I answer that, consider the reason why you would want to remove the date in the first place. What is it about the date on posts that's got you all worked up?

You'll see that most responses to this question are that bloggers want their posts to appear current, even though they may be a few years old (or more).

Hmmm. Sounds a bit deceptive to me!

What About Evergreen Websites?

Some niches don't change much. You could check out a book from the library on an evergreen topic that is several years old and you would find enough in the book to make it a worthwhile read.

But, even evergreen niches have currency issues. For instance, you may believe organic food is an evergreen topic. No need for dates here, right?

What happens when there are changes to laws surrounding organic foods? Wouldn't you want to know how current the information is with respect to those laws? Someone could have written an article before the laws changed and could be steering you in the wrong direction.

Hopefully, you are starting to see why dates are important!

Do You Search for a Date?

When you are reading something, whether it is a blog post or a book from the library, do you check the date before you read it? If you said yes, then, does it frustrate you when you can't find a date for the material you are reading?

The Date Is Crucial When Validating Sources

I am a researcher by trade. I have said in the past that I am a writer. But, when you have been writing for any length of time, you become a researcher by extension. I learned much about research, enough to write a book on the subject. You can take a gander at the book here:

Taming the Online Research Beast

By James Cochrane

(yes, that's me!)

Please read on before buying!

Here's an interesting twist. The book was written in 2013. Therefore, it is dated with respect to the topic. Now, let me ask you. Would you buy my book now in 2018 knowing that it is five years old? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't.

It is on my to-do list to update the book. I have plans to bring new topics and techniques into the content, and I need to refresh the links contained as some of them are no longer working.

Here's another question I have for you. Let's suppose you are looking for a book about online research. You come across my book, and suppose it shows on the cover that it is updated for 2018. You get excited and whip out the credit card. This author thanks you!

However, what if you discover after reading a few chapters, that this book still contains dated material and isn't updated at all? The only thing this sneaky author did (hey, what did you say?) is slap on a new cover. What would you think of me then?

If someone did that to me, I'd be pissed. In fact, I have seen this very tactic used with an SEO book from 2016. The author simply slapped on a new cover and didn't change one iota of the book. Amazon is supposed to flag authors for doing this. I guess it slipped by the workers there!

How Is This Any Different With Blog Posts?

We have established that you'd be pretty P.O.'d at me if I pulled this tactic with my book. Don't worry. I wouldn't blame you in the least. And, you can be sure I won't let that happen. My reputation means the world to me. If you happen to see the date of my book is updated and has a new cover, you can bet it will contain significant updates. I promise!

The key takeaway here is, why would you use this same tactic with your blog posts? Wouldn't a better approach be to update them significantly so that they offer more value and are current for the period we live in now? Just saying...

Readers Check Dates Too...

You don't need to be an official researcher to check dates. Your readers are checking the dates of your posts. If you are hiding on them, effectively forcing them to use other methods to find the dates of your posts, how long do you believe they will stick around on your website before saying Sayonara or Hasta la Vista, Baby!

I can tell you, I'm gone. If I have to spend more than a few seconds searching when something was written then - see ya wouldn't want to be ya!

How do I know other readers are frustrated with this practice? There are just as many people in forums stating their displeasure with the practice as there are bloggers who are trying to hide the dates. Okay, maybe it's not that matched. I didn't do any formal statistical tests here. But, I am almost willing to bet money that you will find plenty people on forums moaning about not being able to find the date.

Some Criteria for Validating Information

Two big factors when trying to determine valid information online is relevance and currency. There are several others as well.

Is the information relevant? How do you know this?

You consider the source. Do you recognize the author of the information? Is he or she known to be an expert on the topic? Does the author have a handle on the most current information for the topic?

That last question will prompt readers to search for the date of the information. What if it is being hidden?

You Have Good Intentions

I can't honestly find any reason to hide the date of a blog post. But, let's assume you have a valid reason. Even if it's above board, readers will still wonder what you are hiding it. It doesn't really matter if you have a valid reason. Perception is everything in life and especially on blogs. Readers can close out a browser quicker than you can blink your eyes.

What to Do Instead

Instead of hiding the dates on your blog posts, why not update them with current information and re-post with a new date? This acceptable to me and I am going to guess that readers won't have a problem with this, for the most part.

You add value to your blog instead of shrouding it in an air of deception. The adding-value proposition seems like a much better approach to take. But, what the heck do I know?

Well, I know that readers don't like to fish for dates. So, why force them to do so? Hopefully, I have convinced you to think twice about this crazy practice of hiding the dates of WordPress posts.

If you truly have a good reason to hide dates that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt readers won't view as being deceptive, please let me know in the comments below. I just cannot seem to get a handle of any valid reason.

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Jim

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Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 8 comments

Wilson

Hey Jim,
I never thought about removing the date from my posts, and your article made me glad I never did.
Since entering into this industry of online marketing, I see a lot of shortcut methods and honourable methods. I guess in other words, the black hat and white hat tactics respectively.
Every industry is the same, there are always people that get uncomfortable with putting in more work, but at the same time want the great results. I really enjoyed your article because it emphasis’ keeping content authentic and not just aiming to make money.
I mean, it would be MUCH easier to just update your cover and start getting sales again, but the RIGHT thing to do is to update your content, which will take far more work.
It’s nice to see a like-minded person! Once again, great post, and reminder to keep things at the highest quality.

Wilson

Jay Gumbs

You’re right. It’s deceptive to remove the dates. I look for dates when I read blogs because I want to know how current the information is otherwise I might just search for another result. Especially if it’s a review because the product might have changed since the review was made and you have no way of knowing that unless the blog post shows the date.

I know that some premium themes let you choose in the settings if you want to leave or remove the date and people might want to choose to remove the date to customize their blog in a way that it’s different from other blogs but they really don’t know the ramifications of doing so.

On the other hand though, if you’re building a database type of site (like for example, one that has posts for say tv theme songs) then you don’t really need the date.

Jim

Hey Jay, thanks for your comment. I think most people look for dates when they are browsing on the web. In these times, with all the fake stories and misinformation, the date is a crucial starting point for information.

I’d agree on the database-type sites. But even here, webmasters of these sites are likely to find posts that may need dates. I can’t come up with an example for TV theme songs. But, suppose an author of fiction who was blogging to teach about her craft and help others publish a fiction book. On the surface, teaching about fiction isn’t going to change all that much and may not require publishing with dates. However, once you get into the marketing aspects of books, that would certainly require dates because that is not evergreen at all.

Best Regards,

Jim

Hey Wilson, thanks for your comment and your kind words. I just think there is too much risk in engaging in the practice. The bigger problem is that the “gurus” are doing it too so everyone thinks this makes it okay to do. It’s not. If I read something that doesn’t have a date and deals with a topic that requires one, I am onto the next website.

I know techniques on how to find the date, too (View HTML source, look for the dates of comments, etc.) However, I won’t even bother to use them because of the perception that the particular blogger is hiding something from readers.

Best Regards,

Jim

Sukumar Thingom

Hiding dates from posts are certainly deceptive. But I think I can understand why people edit the post dates – it’s to make a content look fresh. However, changing only the dates without editing the article (by adding new information) is silly. If the purpose of the whole exercise is to make a post look fresh, then why not make it really fresh by adding updated information there. If the content is something on internet marketing or SEO, I think it would relevant when it’s new since the field keeps on changing and things get obsolete fast. My only concern would be the comments from readers on the post. We might need to edit the dates in the articles. Otherwise, it would look odd if a comment is given on a date earlier than the date on which the article was supposedly written!

Jim

Hey Sukumar, thanks for your comment. Mostly, you reinforced much of what I wrote about. Best Regards, Jim

Dr. Doug

I understand that information gets stale twice as fast as it used to a decade ago. The internet has put the most relevant information at our fingertips and its pure deception to mess with that. If I read a review article or a piece on software, I need to know that the information is current since I’ll spend money based on that info.

Jim

Hey Doug,
Thanks for your comment. I agree that you need to know the currency of information on the internet. That is an important component in the information age.
Best Regards,
Jim