logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Are Google search result time stamps the exact publication dates of web pages?

By Christiana Dillard
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

If you think Google is pretty close to infallible, seeing a web page that seems to predict an event can appear eerie.

Google says, however, that it can only estimate the date that a web page was created.

According to its blog post, "Google doesn't depend on one single factor because all of them can be prone to issues. Publishers may not always provide a clear visible date. Sometimes, structured data may be lacking or may not be adjusted to the correct time zone."

The senior webmaster trends analyst at Google said in a video, "We use multiple factors to try to figure out which dates are relevant for a page. So it's not just the metadata on the page, but we try to figure out has there actually been a significant change on the page."

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Google Help Google Search know the best date for your web page
Google Search Central English Google SEO office-hours from August 6, 2021
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.