I’ve been noticing a trend in my behavior when I use Google. More and more, I find myself limiting the results to pages that have been created or updated in the past year, past month, or even past week.

It’s easy to do. When you perform a search, simply click “Show Options”:

In the options that appear, specify that you only want recent results:

When are people most likely to use this? When they’re conducting searches for information that is likely to change on a regular basis. Consider just one example. Suppose I’m doing a college-related search about how much it’s going to cost me. Knowing tuition costs from last year (let alone three years ago) does me no good. I only want up-to-date information. Look what happens when I search for “maryland tuition” without a time restriction, versus when I search the same term with a restriction that the information must have been updated within the past year:

The results are completely different. The University of Maryland doesn’t simply lose its number one spot, it gets bumped out of the results altogether.

Optimizing a college website is an ongoing effort, not a once-and-done deliverable. Prospective students today are savvy searchers. They expect accurate, up-to-date information, and they know how to get it. Make sure you’re offering it.