In theory, our publishing tools could capture timestamps for the creation and modification of pages. Our web servers could encode those timestamps in HTTP headers and/or in generated pages, using a standard format. Search engines could use those timestamps to reliably sort results. And we could all much more easily evaluate the currency of those results.

In practice that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Makers of publishing tools, servers, and search engines would have to agree on a standard approach and form a critical mass in support of it. Don’t hold your breath waiting.

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