Sometimes, you want people to see the day your article was published when they search your content on Google search pages. To do so, you need to do some settings on your SEO plugins such as Rank Math and Yoast SEO. Here’s a detailed guide on how to use Yoast SEO to add date to Google searches:

Here’s a detailed guide on how to use Yoast SEO to add the date to Google searches:
1. Install and Activate Yoast SEO:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to “Plugins” > “Add New.”
- Search for “Yoast SEO” and install it.
- Activate the plugin.
2. Configure Yoast SEO:
- After activation, go to “SEO” in your WordPress dashboard.
- Follow the configuration wizard provided by Yoast SEO. This includes setting up your site’s basic information.
3. Enable Advanced Settings:
- In the Yoast SEO settings, go to “SEO” > “Search Appearance.”
- Navigate to the “Content Types” tab.
- Ensure that the post types you want to display in search results have enabled the “Date in Snippet Preview” option.
4. Edit Individual Post Settings:
- When creating or editing a post, scroll down to the Yoast SEO meta box.
- In the “SEO” tab, you’ll find options for setting the “Published on” date. Make sure this is filled in correctly.
5. Check Global Settings:
- In the Yoast SEO settings, go to “SEO” > “Search Appearance.”
- Navigate to the “General” tab.
- Under “Date in Snippet Preview,” you can choose how the date should be displayed in the search results.
6. Update Posts:
After making changes, update your posts to save the changes.
7. Verify with Structured Data Testing Tool:
You can use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to verify that your pages include the necessary datePublished and dateModified properties. Enter the URL of a post to check if the structured data is being generated correctly.
8. Submit Sitemap to Google Search Console:
- If you haven’t already, submit your sitemap to Google Search Console. This helps Google discover and index your content with the updated metadata.
9. Monitor and Be Patient:
It may take time for Google to crawl and re-index your pages with the updated metadata. Monitor your search results over time.
10. Additional Options:
Yoast SEO provides additional settings for controlling the display of dates, such as whether to show date archives in search results. Explore the “SEO” > “Search Appearance” settings to customize the appearance of dates further.
By following these steps, you can configure Yoast SEO to include the date in Google searches for your WordPress site. Keep in mind that plugin interfaces may evolve, so it’s a good idea to refer to the official Yoast SEO documentation for the latest information.