lastmod From CMS Timestamp vs Real Content Change: Use The Right Source

lastmod From CMS Timestamp vs Real Content Change: Use The Right Source

Google trusts lastmod only when it's accurate. Pick the source that reflects visible content change, not framework noise.

Reject these as lastmod sources:
— updated_at that fires on view-count or like-count writes.
— Full-cache rebuild timestamps (every URL changes at once = ignored).
— Build/deploy time on static sites (CSS deploy ≠ content change).

Use instead:
— A dedicated content_revised_at column you bump only when title, body, or main entity changes.
— A content hash diff: store hash of rendered main content, update lastmod only when hash changes.

Pass/fail check:
— ✅ Touching one product description updates exactly one lastmod.
— ❌ A sitewide template tweak rewrites every lastmod to today.

Definition of done: lastmod moves if and only if a human would notice the page changed.