When optimizing for Baidu SEO, date formatting is a small detail that can have a big impact.
Baidu uses time signals to understand when content was published, whether it has been updated, and how fresh it is for search users. These signals can influence how a page is crawled, indexed, and ranked in Baidu Search.
However, many websites still make one common mistake: the date is either missing, unclear, or formatted in a way Baidu can’t easily recognize.
To improve search quality and user experience, Baidu introduced the Landing Page Time Factor Guidelines, which explain how website editors should mark time information on webpages.
Baidu Time Submission Format
Currently, both desktop (PC) and mobile pages support time submission using JSON-LD format.
Baidu recommends using the following fields:
| Name | Meaning | Recommended Format |
| Pubdate | The time the content was originally published | Format: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss (Note: the date and time are separated by “T”) |
| Update | The latest time the content was updated If the content is newly created, this should be the same as PubdateFor Q&A or forum pages, this should be the time of the first visible answer to users | |
| lrDate | The latest reply time, mainly for forums or Q&A pages |
Page Time Submission Guidelines
Different types of pages require different time signals, since users pay attention to different freshness indicators depending on the content.
So, based on the page type, you should choose and submit the most relevant time field first.
Homepage
This includes main site homepages (such as Sina or NetEase) as well as section or channel homepages (like the sports section on Sina).
These pages usually contain a mix of content and links, and they are updated frequently. Because of this, you only need to provide the latest update time.
| Homepage Type | Example Page | Recommended Time Field |
| Website Homepage | Corporate websites | Use the latest update time from all listed content |
| Section/Channel | Sina Sports, NetEase Tech, Sina NBA |
Category Pages
These pages are similar to homepages. They usually contain multiple pieces of content and links, and are updated frequently. Because of this, you should provide the latest update time.
A topic page is a special type of list page. It typically gathers high-quality content around the same event or subject. For these pages, both the update time and the publish time are important.
| Category Page Types | Example Pages | Recommended Time Field |
| Novel / Video Cover Pages | Example: Battle Through the Heavens, Emergency Physician | Provide the latest update time across all listed content (Update) If available, also include publish time (Pubdate) for topic style pages Update time is required |
| Search / Filter Result Pages | Example: Dog food filters on 58, iPhone S8 filters on JD | |
| Forums / Blogs / Live Stream Personal Pages | Example: Forum homepage | |
| Topic Pages | Example: 19th Party Congress special topic page→ Provide both publish time (Pubdate) and update time (Update) |
Content Pages
These pages are mainly content-based, including article pages, video playback pages, and novel chapter pages. After publishing, they are rarely updated, and users mainly care about the publish time.
Q&A pages and forum style interactive detail pages are a bit different. They require more time related information, which is explained in the table below.
| Content Page Types | Example Pages | Recommended Time Field |
| Article Detail Pages | Example: News articles, recipe pages | Prioritize the publish time (Pubdate) If the content is updated, also include update time (Update) * Publish time (Pubdate) is required and must be accurate to the minute |
| Video Playback Pages | Example: Emergency | |
| PhysicianProduct / Classified / Supply Pages | Example: Product listings, supply-and-demand pages | |
| Company Profile Pages | Example: Company introduction pages, business information pages | |
| Q&A Pages | Example: Baidu Zhidao, Zhihu | Question publish time (Pubdate) First answer time (Update) Latest answer time (lrDate) * All three fields are required |
| Forum Detail Pages | Example: Tieba, Tianya | Post publish time (Pubdate) First reply time (Update) Latest reply time (lrDate) * All three fields are required |
Common Date Format Mistakes to Avoid
Before publishing, check for these common issues:
Missing Publish Date
No visible publish date on the page.
Date Visible to Users But Missing in Structured Data
Baidu may not detect it properly.
Using Relative Dates Only
Examples:
Yesterday
Today
2 hours ago
Wrong Timestamp Format
Using slashes, missing hours or minutes, or not using the T separator.
Date formatting may seem like a small technical detail, but for Baidu mobile SEO it matters more than many website owners realize. Getting the above details right helps Baidu crawl your content more accurately, and can improve how your pages appear in search results.
Sally is a Baidu Certified Marketing Consultant and Google Certified Analyst with 15+ years of experience. Her expertise includes Chinese-English translation, PR writing & distribution, website localization, WordPress, SEO, video subtitling, and editing. Since 2009, she has been helping international businesses craft and execute effective content marketing strategies tailored to the Chinese market.