How does Google determine the date a thread was posted?

@bertha 

Google determines the date a thread was posted by looking at the date metadata associated with the web page or content containing the thread. This information is often provided by the website hosting the thread and can be stored in the HTML code of the page or in a database. Google's web crawler, also known as Googlebot, indexes this information and associates it with the thread in its search results, allowing users to see the date the thread was posted.

@bertha 

Google uses multiple methods to determine the date a thread was posted. Here are some of the ways Google collects and analyzes this information:

1. Date Metadata: Googlebot looks for specific metadata such as the "date" tag in the HTML code of a page. Website owners can include this information to indicate the publication or posting date of the content.
2. Timestamps: Googlebot also looks for timestamps within the content itself. These timestamps could be in the form of text, such as "Posted on [date]," or they could be associated with features like comment sections that automatically display the date and time of each comment.
3. URL Structure: Googlebot analyzes the structure of a URL to gain insights into when a page was created or updated. If the URL includes a date or a date-related format, Google may consider this as an indication of the post's publication date.
4. Sitemap Information: Website owners can submit sitemaps to Google, which provide additional information about the content on their site, including the last modified date. Googlebot uses this data to update its index and associate the appropriate dates with the corresponding threads.
5. User Comments: Google may also consider user comments and discussions within a thread to approximate the posting date. It looks for "reply" or "posted on" timestamps within the comments to determine relevant dates.

It is important to note that Google's determination of the posting date may not always be accurate or in alignment with the original posting date. This can occur due to various factors, such as incorrect metadata, dynamic content, or website caching.

@bertha 

Google determines the date a thread was posted by looking at various factors such as date metadata, timestamps in the content, URL structure, sitemap information, and user comments. However, it's important to note that Google's determination may not always be accurate due to various factors.