Dated or undated
Should Testimonials Show the Date
A date can make a quote more believable, or it can quietly tell a visitor that nobody has praised you since 2021. Whether to show it depends on how quickly your product or service changes and how recent your best testimonials are. Answer five questions to choose full date, year only or no date for one page.
- Full date, year only, or none
- Weighs freshness against how fast you change
- Tells you when to collect before you decide
Decision helper
How should this page show when a testimonial was given?
Pick one page. Think about the quotes you would put on it today.
Nothing you choose here leaves your browser.
The problem, solved
Where dates go wrong, and how StoryProof helps
- Problem 1
Every imported quote shows today’s date
Copying old testimonials into a new tool stamps them all with the same day, which looks invented.
How StoryProof solves it
When you upload a spreadsheet, match its date column so each quote keeps the date it was really given.
- Problem 2
Our best quote is four years old
It is still true, but beside a date it reads like the last time anyone was pleased.
How StoryProof solves it
Email recent customers the collection link and let them answer in video, audio or text, so the page can lead with something current.
- Problem 3
Old quotes mention old prices
A testimonial praising a price you no longer charge misleads, dated or not.
How StoryProof solves it
Tag quotes by year or by the version they describe, then choose which approved ones each widget shows so dated ones stay off the pages they would mislead.
- Problem 4
One page needs dates, another does not
A changelog style product page wants recency; the about page wants timeless praise.
How StoryProof solves it
Build a separate widget for each page and pick its testimonials, so the recent quotes and the timeless ones live where each fits.
- Problem 5
A new quote arrives about a retired feature
Fresh does not always mean accurate. A recent customer may still be on a plan you no longer sell.
How StoryProof solves it
Nothing goes live until you approve it, so you can read every new quote before its date puts it at the top.
Live preview
What dated proof can look like
The Timeline layout arranges testimonials on a dated spine. Sample content from stock personas, not StoryProof customers.
Review from Google“We put the review wall under our pricing table and prospects quote the reviews back to us on calls.”
Review from Trustpilot“StoryProof made collecting and showing real customer video reviews effortless for us.”
Review from G2“The widget looks native on our site. Nobody can tell it is embedded.”
Review from Google“Collecting video reviews used to be the hardest part. Now it takes one link.”
In StoryProof
Get your dates right in StoryProof
- 1
Bring in old quotes with their real dates
Upload a spreadsheet and map the date column, rather than letting every quote start on upload day.
- 2
Tag by year or product version
A tag makes it quick to find everything older than a given release when you build a widget.
- 3
Ask for fresh ones where you are thin
If the helper said collect first, email a short list of recent customers the link.
- 4
Choose quotes per widget
Recent ones for the pages that show dates, timeless ones for the pages that do not.
What happens next: Check the dated pages every quarter. If the newest date on show is more than a year old, collect before anything else.
Before you start
Good to know
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
Unknown dates stay unknown
If you never recorded when an old quote was given, do not guess. Leave it undated or ask the customer again.
- 02
Display depends on the layout
Layouts show a testimonial differently. Preview the widget you chose before deciding the date question is settled.
- 03
Search engines are a separate topic
This guide is about what visitors read. It makes no promise about how search engines treat dated reviews.
- 04
Hiding a date does not make a quote current
If the product has changed since, the quote may now be wrong. Retire it rather than hiding its age.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Do dates make testimonials more believable?
Recent dates usually do, because they show real customers at a real time. Old dates can have the opposite effect, which is why the answer depends on your supply of fresh quotes.
Should I use the date the customer wrote it or the date I published it?
The date they wrote or recorded it. That is the date the opinion belongs to.
Is year only too vague?
For most services it is enough. Month and year matters when your offer changes quickly enough that six months makes a difference.
What about undated quotes from years ago?
Ask the customer whether the quote still reflects their view. If they confirm, you have a fresh date; if they do not reply, consider retiring it.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Keep the real date on every quote
Import with the original dates, tag by year and choose which quotes each page shows.
Last updated 2026-11-06.