If you do online research, you may want to know how to find when a website was published. 

Whether you're checking the relevance of information, verifying sources, or exploring historical changes, knowing a website's publication date can be invaluable. However, not all websites provide this information. Then, if that’s the case, how can you find the publication date of a website?

To help you know how to check the date of publication of your website, we've gathered 10 effective strategies. 

From examining the website itself to using advanced tools, these techniques can guide you to uncover a website's origins and track its updates over time. 

Let's explore these approaches and see how you can use them to gain insight into how to find the publication date of a website.

10 Effective Ways How to Find When a Website Was Published

1. Examine the Website and Its URL

The first thing you can do how to find out when a website was published is to start by checking the article itself. Most of the time, the published date or last updated date is displayed at the beginning or end of the article.

If you don't find this information, you can check the bottom of the website for the copyright date, which may indicate the year the website or content was created or updated.

However, be aware that the copyright date may not always reflect the publication date of a particular article, as it may relate to the website as a whole. 

Another method that can help is to analyse the URL of the article. Some websites include the publication date in the URL structure, which provides a simple clue as to when the article was published. 

Additionally, this approach is straightforward and effective, but keep in mind that not all websites provide explicit publishing or editing dates, and some may not include a visible copyright date.

2. Use Google

The second thing on how do you find out when a website was published is to use Google. To find the publication date of a particular webpage using Google, you can follow a few simple steps.

In many cases, Google displays the publication date right next to the search results. However, if you don't see it, try out this approach:

1. Open Google Search and type "inurl:" in the search box.
2. Next, paste the webpage URL immediately after "inurl:" and press "Enter" or click the search icon.
3. In the browser URL bar at the top, add "&as_qdr=y15" to the end of the existing URL and press "Enter".

With this method, Google will display search results that include the publication date of the webpage you entered.

3. Check the Source Code

If you wonder how to find out when a website was published, then the next step you can do is examine its source code, which often contains valuable information like publication dates, coding details, and links to images.

Here's a simple way to open the source code and find the publication date:

• Open the Source Code: Right-click on the webpage and select "View Page Source." Alternatively, you can use the shortcut "Ctrl + U" on Windows or "Command + U" on Mac.
• Search for Keywords: Once the source code opens in a new tab, use the "Find" function to search for keywords related to publication. Press "Ctrl + F" on Windows or "Command + F" on Mac to bring up the search box.
• Look for Publication Information: In the search box, type terms like "datePublished," "publishdate," or "published_time." This can lead you to where the publication date is stored in the code. If you don't find it, try searching for "dateModified" to see if there's information on when the page was last updated.

In addition, when you find a match, the date will typically be in the format "year-month-date." This method should help you locate the publication or last modification date of a webpage, but remember that not all pages will have this information in the source code.

4. Check the Website Footer

The footer of a website, often found at the bottom of the page, is a valuable source of information. It commonly contains copyright information, which can suggest the year when the content was first published or last updated. 

This method can be particularly useful for static websites, where the footer quickly indicates when the content became publicly available. Here is a simple process of how to find when a website that was published in a website's footer:

• Open the Website: Load the website in your preferred web browser.
• Scroll to the Footer: Go to the bottom of the webpage where the footer is typically located.
• Look for Information: In the footer section, search for copyright details, contact information, or other relevant details. If there's a publication date, it should be mentioned here.
• Check for Alternatives: If you can't find a publication date, look for a "last updated" or "last modified" date instead.
• Explore Other Options: If the footer doesn't offer any publication or update information, consider using a website analysis tool or contacting the website owner to ask for more details.

5. Check the Metadata

Next, you can examine the metadata within its HTML code to find the publication when a website was published.

Metadata provides important information about a webpage, including publication dates, and it's contained within "meta" tags in the HTML. The following is how you can access and search through the HTML code:

• Open the Webpage: Load the webpage in your browser.
• View the Page Source: Right-click anywhere on the page (avoid images and links) and choose "View Page Source" or a similar option depending on your browser.
• Examine the HTML Code: This action opens a new tab or window displaying the HTML code behind the webpage.
• Search for "Meta" Tags: Within the HTML code, look for "meta" tags, as they contain key information about the page.
• Find the Publication Date: Search through the meta tags for keywords like "date" or "pubdate." These terms might point you to the publication date of the webpage.

Additionally, if you locate these meta tags, you can often find the publication date within them. However, remember that not all web pages include this information in their metadata, so there's a chance you might not find a publication date using this method.

6. Examine the URL’s Structures

The other approach that you can try how to find out when a website was published is by examining the URL structure of the website (the web address). 

Many websites, especially those that publish articles, blog posts, or news stories, include the publication date in their URLs. This can be a useful way to determine when content was posted, especially if the publication date isn't clearly displayed on the page itself.

Below is how you can analyze the URL structure to find the publication date of a website:

• Check the URL: Look at the web address in your browser's address bar. This is where you can often find information about the publication date.
• Identify Date Patterns: Some websites incorporate the date in a clear pattern, such as "year/month/day." For example, a URL might look like this: "www.example.com/2023/10/15/article-title."
• Use This Information: If you see a recognizable date pattern, you can use this to determine when the content was published.

In addition, this method is particularly useful for blogs, news articles, or any time-sensitive content where the publication date may be part of the URL structure.

7. Review Content Updates and Comments

Reviewing content updates or comments is a valuable way to understand how blogs and other dynamic platforms operate. 

On many of these platforms, you can find the original publication date and the date of the next update. This is especially helpful for readers who want to gauge the freshness or relevance of the content. 

For example, an article may have been published in 2010 but updated in 2021, indicating that the content has been revised and may be more current than the original publication date would indicate.

In addition, user comments can also provide insight into the context of the content and its evolution over time. By examining the comments, you can identify when the content gained traction, what discussions it triggered, and whether it remains relevant.

8. Social Media Sharing Dates

When you're trying to determine when an article or video was published, the website might not always display this information prominently.

In such cases, one approach is to examine social media sharing dates. Many websites have buttons that allow you to share content on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. 

By checking these buttons, you can often find out when the content was shared, which can give you an indication of when it was originally published.

Here's why social media sharing dates can be useful how to find when a website was published:

• Sharing Patterns: If content has been shared on social media, the dates can help you estimate when it gained popularity or was first circulated.
• Indication of Timeliness: If the content was shared a long time ago, it might indicate that the original publication date was around that period.
• Content Relevance: Social media shares can help you gauge if the content is still relevant. If it's being shared more recently, it's likely that the content has remained relevant or has been updated.

9. Google Search Cache

Google's search cache is a feature that stores copies of webpages from across the internet, allowing Google to quickly access and index content for search results.

When you perform a Google search, the search engine uses its cache to retrieve relevant results efficiently.

While this cache can provide valuable information about a website, it might not always reflect the most current content, as it shows the webpage as it was when Google last indexed it.

Below are some reasons why Google's search cache can help you find the publication date of a website:

• Viewing Previous Content: If a webpage has changed or been taken down, Google's cache lets you view its earlier version. This can be helpful if you're trying to retrieve information that was previously on the site.
• Identifying Historical Changes: By comparing the cached version to the current one, you can see what changes have been made over time, providing insights into how a website's content has evolved.
• Accessing Content Offline: In cases where the website is temporarily unavailable, the cache can offer a way to access its content until it becomes accessible again.

10. Contact the Website Owner

If you're trying to find out when a website was published but can't locate the information, reaching out to the website owner might be your best option. 

This direct approach allows you to ask the person or team behind the website about its history. You can usually find their contact information on the "Contact Us" page of the site or by using a WHOIS domain search.

Conclusion

That was 10 ways how to find when a website was published. From that explanation, we can conclude that understanding how to find when a website was published is about ensuring that the information you're consuming is accurate, relevant, and trustworthy. 

Apart from understanding how to check the date of publication of the website, the important thing about a website is using a strategic SEO approach as search engines prioritize content that is both fresh and reliable. 

To solve this challenge, you can ask an SEO professional agency like cmlabs that offers personalized SEOlutions such as keyword research, technical SEO, site audit, and website content.

cmlabs has expert SEO specialists to ensure your content not only reaches the right audience but also maintains its relevance over time through up-to-date SEO methods.

Try SEO Services by cmlabs now and see how we can boost the organic traffic of your websites!