What to change
A rebuild is not necessarily a meaningful revision to every article. Ask where modification information comes from and whether it describes actual content changes or merely file-writing activity. If trustworthy page-level information is unavailable, omitting the optional field is preferable to manufacturing a history. Compare an unchanged rebuild with a genuine article edit and require the output to follow the documented policy in both cases.
A worked example
Illustrative example
Illustrative test: Run two identical builds and compare their sitemap entries. A navigation-only update may rewrite every generated article file, causing all sitemap dates to change. Compare that release with a genuine edit to one guide. The supplier adjusts the date policy to reflect reliable meaningful source changes, or explains why the optional value should be omitted. Your editor reviews the two outcomes together. This avoids presenting routine rebuild activity as a fresh revision to every article in the library.
What this means for your practice
A routine website rebuild may rewrite files without changing the information visitors read. If every sitemap date becomes today's date, it no longer explains which guides were meaningfully revised. Ask your supplier where those dates come from and what they are meant to represent. Your editorial process should identify genuine content changes where reliable records exist. If reliable page-level dates are unavailable, the supplier should explain an appropriate policy rather than invent a history. Compare an unchanged rebuild with a real guide edit. The dates should follow the agreed meaning in both cases, making future reporting easier to interpret and avoiding misleading claims of continual freshness.
How to check the result
The inventory is stable unless its meaningful source information changes.
A mistake to avoid
Inventing older timestamps is not a valid way to create publication history.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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