Version Timeline
Select a page in the sitemap tree, then click the History tab to see its version timeline.Timeline Layout
Versions appear in a vertical timeline ordered from newest to oldest. Each version shows:| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Date and time | When this version was crawled |
| Word count | Total words in the page at this point in time |
| Change indicator | Whether content changed from the previous version |
| Latest badge | Marks the most recent version |
Change Indicators
The timeline uses visual cues to show what changed between consecutive versions:- Green arrow up with a positive number - Content was added (word count increased)
- Red arrow down with a negative number - Content was removed (word count decreased)
- Blue equals with “structure changed” - The content hash changed but the word count stayed the same, indicating structural changes like reformatted headings or reordered sections
- “no changes” in muted text - The content hash is identical to the previous version, meaning nothing changed
Node Markers
Timeline nodes use different visual styles:- Solid primary dot - The latest (most recent) version
- Smaller primary dot - A version where content changed from the prior crawl
- Hollow circle - A version with no content changes
Single Version
If only one version exists (the page has only been crawled once), the timeline shows a single entry marked “initial crawl” with no change indicators.Comparing Versions
Each version in the timeline (except the oldest) has a Compare with previous button. Clicking it opens a full-screen dialog with a side-by-side diff.Diff Viewer
The diff dialog shows:- Stats bar at the top with lines added (green), lines removed (red), and net word count change
- Side-by-side diff powered by a code-diff renderer, with added lines highlighted in green and removed lines highlighted in red
- File labels showing the page URL and the date of each version
Reading the Diff
- Green highlighted lines are content that was added in the newer version
- Red highlighted lines are content that was removed from the older version
- Unchanged lines provide context around the changes
| Stat | Meaning |
|---|---|
+N (green) | Number of lines added |
-N (red) | Number of lines removed |
+N words or -N words | Net change in word count |
Use Cases
Tracking Content Updates
After updating pages on your website, run a new domain crawl and check Owned Content to verify the changes were captured correctly. The diff viewer confirms exactly what AI platforms will see in the updated content.Monitoring Competitor Content Changes
If your domain crawl configuration includes competitor domains, use the version timeline to track how their content evolves over time. Word count trends and change frequency reveal how actively a competitor maintains their content.Identifying Unintended Changes
Sometimes website deployments introduce unintended content changes (broken formatting, stripped sections, duplicated text). The diff viewer helps you spot these issues by comparing the pre-deployment and post-deployment crawl snapshots.Auditing Content Freshness
The version timeline shows the crawl date for each snapshot. Pages that have not changed across multiple crawls may need updates. Sort the tree by relevance or bot traffic to prioritize which stale pages to refresh first.How Versions Work
What Creates a New Version
Each domain crawl creates a new version for every page it visits. If the crawled content is identical to the previous version (same content hash), the version still appears in the timeline but is marked as “no changes.”Content Hash
DevTune computes a content hash for each page version. This hash is used to determine whether content actually changed between crawls, independent of word count. Two pages can have the same word count but different content hashes if text was reworded without changing length.Data Retention
All crawl versions are retained. The timeline shows the complete history of a page across every crawl that captured it.Troubleshooting
No History Available
If the History tab shows “No version history available,” the page may not have version data associated with it. This can happen if:- The page was only captured in a single crawl and the versions query returned no results
- There was a data issue during the crawl
Only One Version
A single version with “initial crawl” is normal for pages captured in your first domain crawl. Run additional crawls to build up version history over time.Diff Shows Unexpected Changes
If the diff shows large-scale changes that do not match your actual content edits, the cause is usually:- Rendering differences - Dynamic content (dates, personalized elements) changes on every crawl
- JavaScript loading variations - Single-page app content may render slightly differently between crawls
- Third-party embeds - Embedded widgets and ads can inject different content each time
Next Steps
- Browsing Content - Navigate the tree and view page details
- Owned Content Overview - Understand the feature and how it fits into DevTune
- AI Traffic - Track AI bot and referral traffic across your site