Fossils are primarily used in finding the relative age of rocks rather than the absolute age. However, when considering the context of your question, a fossil would be more useful for dating if it "existed for a limited period of time and in a wide area." This is because such fossils, known as index fossils, are indicative of specific time periods and can help correlate the ages of rock layers across different locations.
Thus, the correct answer is:
• if it existed for a limited period of time and in a wide area.