<b>If I update a post, should I change the published date?</b>

<b>If I update a post, should I change the published date?</b>

Q: I rewrote an old article. Do I bump the date to today or leave it?

A: Short answer: only if you genuinely overhauled it — otherwise leave the original date. Longer answer: changing the visible date is a promise to readers that the content is current. If you truly rewrote it (new data, new sections, removed stale stuff), updating the date is honest and can improve clicks for time-sensitive queries. If you fixed a typo and swapped one stat, faking a fresh date is just date manipulation — it erodes trust and Google isn't fooled by it. A clean middle path many sites use: keep the original publish date visible AND show a "last updated" date. That gives readers accuracy without pretending a 2022 piece was born yesterday.

Anyone want me to go deeper on this? React 👍