Why You Should Not Remove Dates From Your WordPress Blog Posts

In the world of blogging, there’s a persistent debate: Should you display the publication date on your WordPress blog posts?

Some bloggers argue that removing dates makes content appear “evergreen,” preventing readers from dismissing older posts as outdated. Others believe dates clutter the design or make a site feel “stale” if posts aren’t published frequently. At first glance, these arguments seem plausible—after all, who wants their carefully crafted content to be overlooked because of a timestamp?

But here’s the truth: Removing dates from your WordPress blog posts is rarely a good idea. In fact, dates play a critical role in building trust, improving SEO, enhancing user experience, and maintaining content relevance. What’s more, WordPress (and the web at large) is designed to work with dates, and forcing them into hiding can lead to unintended consequences, from broken functionality to confused search engines.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore why dates matter, debunk the myths behind removing them, and explain how to leverage dates to strengthen your blog—without sacrificing that “evergreen” appeal. Whether you’re a new blogger or a seasoned site owner, by the end, you’ll understand why keeping dates visible is a smarter, more sustainable strategy.

Table of Contents#

  1. Why Do Some Bloggers Consider Removing Dates?

    • Myth 1: “Dates Make Old Content Look Irrelevant”
    • Myth 2: “Dates Clutter the Design”
    • Myth 3: “Readers Ignore Posts With Old Dates”

  2. The Case Against Removing Dates: 5 Critical Reasons

      1. Dates Build User Trust (and Prevent Harm)
      1. Search Engines Rely on Dates for Freshness and Relevance
      1. Dates Provide Context for “Evergreen” Content
      1. Dates Improve User Experience and Reduce Bounce Rates
      1. WordPress (and the Web) Are Designed to Use Dates

  3. WordPress-Specific Risks of Removing Dates

    • How Dates Are Built Into WordPress
    • Methods to Remove Dates (and Their Drawbacks)
    • The Hidden Costs: Plugins, Code, and Compatibility

  4. Alternatives to Removing Dates: Keep Dates, Boost Appeal

    • Add “Last Updated” Timestamps
    • Update and Republish Old Content
    • Clarify “Evergreen” Intent
    • Design Dates to Be Subtle (But Visible)

  5. Conclusion: Dates Are Assets, Not Liabilities

  6. References

Why Do Some Bloggers Consider Removing Dates?#

Before diving into why dates are essential, let’s address the arguments for removing them. These are the most common myths that lead bloggers to hide timestamps—and why they often fall flat.

Myth 1: “Dates Make Old Content Look Irrelevant”#

Many bloggers worry that a post from 2018 will be dismissed as “outdated” in 2024, even if the core information is still accurate (e.g., a guide to baking sourdough or basic SEO principles). They assume that hiding the date will trick readers into thinking the content is newer, keeping it relevant longer.

The flaw: Readers are smarter than that. If your content is evergreen, a date won’t make it irrelevant—but removing the date might make readers suspicious. For example, a reader researching “how to start a podcast” might wonder, “Is this advice from 2015 (when podcasts were less mainstream) or 2023 (with modern tools like Anchor or Spotify for Podcasters)?” Without a date, they can’t tell—and may leave to find a post that does show when it was published.

Myth 2: “Dates Clutter the Design”#

A minimalist design ethos leads some bloggers to remove dates, author names, and other metadata to streamline the page. They argue that dates distract from the content and make the site feel “noisy.”

The flaw: Modern WordPress themes are designed to display metadata (like dates) unobtrusively. Hiding dates often requires custom code or plugins, which can break your theme’s layout or cause conflicts during updates. Worse, it prioritizes aesthetics over functionality—readers expect dates, and their absence can feel jarring or unprofessional.

Myth 3: “Readers Ignore Posts With Old Dates”#

Bloggers with infrequent posting schedules (e.g., publishing once a quarter) fear that showing dates will highlight their inconsistency, leading readers to assume the blog is “abandoned.”

The flaw: Inconsistent posting is better than hiding dates. A reader who sees a post from 2023 (even if it’s the only one that year) knows the blog is active. Without dates, they might assume the last post was from 2010 and leave. Plus, updating old posts (and showing “last updated” dates) can signal that you care about keeping content fresh—even if you don’t publish new posts often.

The Case Against Removing Dates: 5 Critical Reasons#

Now that we’ve debunked the myths, let’s explore why dates are non-negotiable for a successful WordPress blog.

1. Dates Build User Trust (and Prevent Harm)#

Trust is the foundation of blogging. Readers need to believe your content is accurate, reliable, and current—especially for topics like health, finance, technology, or legal advice. Dates are a simple, transparent way to signal this.

Example: Health and Medical Content#

Imagine a blog post titled “10 Ways to Manage Diabetes” without a date. If the post was published in 2010, it might recommend outdated treatments (e.g., older medications with new warnings) or ignore recent guidelines from the American Diabetes Association. A reader following this advice could face serious health risks. With a date, they’d immediately know to verify the information against newer sources—or skip the post entirely.

Example: Tech and Software Guides#

A “How to Use WordPress Gutenberg” post from 2018 would describe the initial, buggy version of the editor. Today’s Gutenberg (2024) is vastly improved, with features like block patterns and full-site editing. Without a date, a new WordPress user might follow outdated steps, get frustrated, and abandon your blog.

The Bottom Line:#

Dates prevent misinformation and harm. They show readers you respect their need for accurate, timely content—and that you’re accountable for what you publish.

2. Search Engines Rely on Dates for Freshness and Relevance#

Search engines like Google use dates to understand when content was created, which directly impacts rankings—especially for time-sensitive queries. Here’s how:

Freshness as a Ranking Factor#

Google prioritizes “fresh” content for queries where recency matters. For example:

  • “Best smartphones 2024”
  • “2024 tax law changes”
  • “Latest Taylor Swift album release”

If your post about 2024 smartphones lacks a date, Google may not recognize it as relevant for that query—even if it was published in 2024. Instead, it might rank a dated post from 2023 (with a clear timestamp) higher, assuming it’s more recent.

E-E-A-T and Trust#

Google’s E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) emphasizes trust as a key ranking factor. Dates contribute to trust by showing that content is current (or clearly marked as historical). A post without a date looks less trustworthy, which can hurt your rankings—even for evergreen topics.

Schema Markup and Rich Snippets#

WordPress automatically includes date metadata in its code, which search engines use to generate rich snippets (e.g., showing the date in search results). Removing dates can break this markup, leading to less informative snippets and lower click-through rates (CTR). For example:

With Date in SnippetWithout Date in Snippet
“10 Best Hiking Boots (2024) – Last Updated March 2024”“10 Best Hiking Boots – [No Date]”

Readers are far more likely to click the first result, as it signals relevance and freshness.

3. Dates Provide Context for “Evergreen” Content#

Even “evergreen” content (content that remains relevant over time, like “How to Tie a Tie” or “Basic Cooking Skills”) benefits from dates. Here’s why:

Signaling Maintenance#

A “How to Start a Blog” post from 2015 might still be evergreen, but if you updated it in 2024 to include tools like Canva Pro or Bluehost’s latest pricing, the date tells readers you’ve kept it current. For example:
“Originally published in 2015. Last updated in 2024 to reflect new hosting options and design tools.”

Without dates, readers can’t tell if you’ve maintained the post—or if it’s been collecting dust for a decade.

Historical Context#

Some evergreen content gains value from its age. For example, a “History of Photography” post from 2005 could be a fascinating artifact, showing how the field has evolved. A date lets readers appreciate it as a historical document, rather than dismissing it as “outdated.”

4. Dates Improve User Experience and Reduce Bounce Rates#

Readers are time-strapped. They want to quickly assess if your content is worth their time. Dates help them do this, reducing frustration and keeping them on your site longer.

User Behavior: The “Date Check”#

Studies show that 60% of readers scan for dates before reading a post, especially for time-sensitive topics (Source: Nielsen Norman Group). If they can’t find a date, they’re likely to bounce (leave the page immediately), increasing your bounce rate—a metric that signals to Google your content isn’t meeting user needs.

Example: Travel and Local Guides#

A “Best Restaurants in Paris” post without a date is useless to a traveler. Restaurants close, trends change, and a 2018 guide won’t reflect 2024’s food scene. A reader who can’t find a date will leave within seconds, driving up your bounce rate and hurting SEO.

5. WordPress (and the Web) Are Designed to Use Dates#

WordPress is built around the concept of “posts,” which are inherently time-stamped. From RSS feeds to archive pages, dates are woven into the platform’s core functionality. Removing them disrupts this ecosystem.

RSS Feeds and Email Newsletters#

RSS feeds (used by tools like Feedly) and email newsletters (e.g., via Mailchimp) rely on dates to order content. If you remove dates, your feed might display posts in a jumbled order, confusing subscribers.

Archive Pages#

WordPress automatically generates archive pages (e.g., “Posts from January 2024”) based on dates. These pages help readers discover old content and improve site navigation. Removing dates breaks these archives, making your site harder to explore.

When readers share your post on social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook), dates are often included in the share preview. Without dates, shares look less credible, reducing engagement. Similarly, backlinks from other sites may include dates, and if your post lacks one, the link’s context is lost.

WordPress-Specific Risks of Removing Dates#

If you’re still tempted to remove dates, consider the technical hurdles and risks specific to WordPress. Hiding dates isn’t as simple as clicking a button—and it can cause long-term problems.

How Dates Are Built Into WordPress#

WordPress posts and pages store dates in their database by default. This metadata is used by:

  • Your theme (to display dates on single posts, archives, and home pages).
  • Plugins (e.g., SEO plugins like Yoast, which use dates for schema markup).
  • Search engines (via HTML tags like <time datetime="2024-03-15">).

Dates aren’t just “display” elements—they’re critical to how WordPress organizes and serves content.

Methods to Remove Dates (and Their Drawbacks)#

There are three common ways to remove dates in WordPress, and none are risk-free:

Method 1: Hiding Dates With CSS#

Some bloggers use CSS to hide dates visually (e.g., display: none; for the date class). While this is easy, it’s misleading: the date is still in the HTML code, so search engines can see it, but readers can’t. This creates a disconnect between what users see and what search engines index, which Google may penalize as “deceptive” (violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines).

Method 2: Editing Theme Files#

To remove dates entirely, you’d need to edit your theme’s PHP files (e.g., single.php, content.php) and delete date-related functions like the_date() or get_the_date(). But:

  • Theme updates will overwrite your changes, forcing you to re-edit files repeatedly.
  • You risk breaking your theme (e.g., if you delete a critical line of code).
  • Plugins that rely on dates (like SEO or analytics tools) may malfunction.

Method 3: Using “Remove Dates” Plugins#

Plugins like “WP Date Remover” claim to hide dates with one click. However:

  • Most are poorly maintained (many haven’t been updated in years, risking compatibility with new WordPress versions).
  • They often use the same CSS “hack” as Method 1, leading to the same search engine risks.
  • They add unnecessary bloat to your site, slowing down load times.

The Hidden Costs: Time and Technical Debt#

Removing dates isn’t a “set it and forget it” fix. You’ll spend hours troubleshooting broken themes, updating plugins, or re-editing code after theme updates. This “technical debt” takes time away from creating content or growing your audience.

Alternatives to Removing Dates: Keep Dates, Boost Appeal#

Instead of removing dates, try these strategies to make them work for you—without sacrificing relevance or design.

Add “Last Updated” Timestamps#

The simplest fix is to show both the original publication date and the last updated date. This signals that you’ve refreshed the content, even if it’s years old.

How to do this in WordPress:

  • Use a plugin like WP Last Modified Info to automatically add “Last updated on [date]” to posts.
  • Edit your theme’s single.php file to include get_the_modified_date() alongside the_date().

Example:
“Published on March 15, 2020. Last updated on April 2, 2024.”

Update and Republish Old Content#

If an old post is underperforming, update it with new information, stats, or examples—then republish it with a new date. This tells search engines and readers the content is fresh.

Pro Tip: Use WordPress’s “Publish” settings to change the post’s date to the current day. Be sure to update internal links (e.g., link to the updated post from newer content) to signal to Google that it’s now a priority.

Clarify “Evergreen” Intent#

For truly evergreen content (e.g., “How to Change a Tire”), add a note explaining that the information is timeless.

Example:
“This post was originally published in 2018. The steps to change a tire haven’t changed, but we’ve updated the safety tips and product links to reflect 2024 standards.”

Design Dates to Be Subtle (But Visible)#

If dates feel “cluttered,” work with your theme to style them more subtly. For example:

  • Use a smaller font size or lighter color (e.g., #666 instead of #000).
  • Place dates below the title or at the end of the post, rather than at the top.
  • Use icons (e.g., a calendar emoji 📅) to make dates recognizable without dominating the page.

Conclusion: Dates Are Assets, Not Liabilities#

Removing dates from your WordPress blog posts might seem like a quick fix to make content look newer or cleaner—but it’s a short-sighted strategy. Dates build trust, improve SEO, enhance user experience, and keep your site functioning smoothly.

Instead of hiding dates, embrace them. Use “last updated” timestamps, update old content, and design dates to fit your theme. Your readers (and search engines) will thank you.

References#

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