There are many users on the Internet who want to verify the date of $ 0027 last modified of $ 0027 from a website. This can be useful when a user is analyzing the website or wants to know when the website was updated for personal reasons..
There are several different ways to check when a specific website was updated or modified. In this case, modifications / Updates mean that the website's owners or developers have changed the content or layout of the website. You can instantly check the modified date using the command “document.lastModified”, or you can even set up Google alerts to do the work for you, so that you receive the notification directly in your email.
How do you check when a web page was last modified?
Here are some of the ways you can instantly check the date or set alerts accordingly.
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Using JavaScript command to check date instantly.
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Use HTTP headers after analyzing the website.
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Use XML Sitemap by opening the sitemap and checking the last modified date.
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Use Google search by passing additional parameters to the search engine.
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Using the Internet Archive. The date of the last modification may not be exact, but it will give you a rough idea.
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Use third-party alternatives that provide their services for free or paid.
Before going to the solutions, we assume you have a suitable browser installed on your computer, como Chrome o Firefox. What's more, the exact URL of the site will be required to visit it.
Method 1: uso de document.lastModified
JavaScript has a nifty command that you can use to check the last update date of any website. This can be done in two ways; You can run the command just inside the address bar at the top or you can open the browser console on the website and run the command there. We will go over both methods starting with the address bar.
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Navigate to the web page you want to analyze. Now, click on the address bar present at the top and delete all the text from there.
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Now write the following command by hand. We come across several cases where the copy and paste command does not work because Chrome removes the keyword $ 0027javascript $ 0027.
javascript:alert(document.lastModified)
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Now hit Enter. A JavaScript notification box will appear indicating the date the website was last modified.
Another way to run the command is through your web browser's console while the website is open in the background. Follow the steps below:
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Open the web page and click F12 or Ctrl + Shift + J to access developer tools (you can replicate the steps for any other browser by reviewing its documentation).
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Now, navigate to the console then run the following command:
javascript:alert(document.lastModified)
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As in the previous form, A small window will appear informing of the last modification date of the web page.
Method 2: uso de Sitemap.XML
Sitemaps allow website owners to inform web crawlers that some of their URLs are available for crawling. There are also additional options in the sitemaps that allow webmasters to include other different information, such as when was it last updated or how much the web page updates over time (frequency). We will take advantage of this and try to extract the latest update dates using this method.
Note: It should be noted that not all web pages can have the last modified date using sitemaps. If you can't find it, skip to the other solutions below.
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Navigate to the web page you want to consult.
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Now, add the following address in front of the web address you entered in the address bar.
/sitemap_index.xml
For example, check the following code:
Before: appuals.com Later: appuals.com/sitemap_index.xml
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Here, a table will be presented that will list all the sitemaps that the website has along with the last modified date.
Note: This may not provide an accurate representation, but it will give the user an idea.
Solution 3: use Archive.org
Another useful method to get an idea of when a website was last modified is to consult the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive (also known as Wayback Machine) can give a rough idea of when the website was last updated or if it is currently updated frequently. Note that this will not give you the date “exact” of updating the web page as we did using JavaScript, but can give you a rough idea.
The idea behind Archive is that it takes screenshots of different websites and their contents on the web and saves them on time. You can easily check the metadata or review the archived copy of the site.
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Navigate to the official website of the Archive and enter the website address in the address bar present at the top along with https as well.
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Now the metadata will be presented from where you can get an idea of the date of the last update or you can also select the archived websites option.
Method 4: create google alerts
If you want to be instantly notified about a website when it is updated by the owners or developers, you can opt for Google alerts. Google Alerts is a service that allows users to verify content change. This usually happens when Google crawlers crawl the website and see additional content added. Later, notify the user by sending an email message to the email address of the user registered in Google Alerts. Please note that this will not provide you with the last modified date, but it will provide future alerts if any modifications are made.
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Navigate to official Google alerts. You may be asked to log into your account, so make sure you do.
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Now, you must create an alert for the website. Enter the website address in the address bar at the top and click Create Alert.
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You can even click Show Options to be able to change the default settings. After creating an alert, you will receive emails like the one below about website updates. You can always remove alerts in the future by removing them from your Google alerts.
