The discussion about short versus long-form content has made a comeback. And it’s not just online, some fascinating trends are also appearing in print media. Take The Journal of Brief Ideas, for example. This is an academic journal (normally the go-to place for lengthy research papers) where scientists can only publish contributions of up to 200 words. 

“Scientists often spend months writing a single research article,” editor-in-chief David Harris told Nature, “yet they have many more valuable ideas that never get developed. The goal is to make those ideas public.” 

At the other end of the spectrum, the Belgian newspaper De Standaard launched De Correspondenten. Seven journalists get the time and space to dig deep into a single subject, producing long articles, often the equivalent of three newspaper pages. These pieces also appear online for subscribers, without being shortened for digital reading. (201 words)

Why longer blog posts can be valuable  

Of course, De Standaard is a news brand, not a company blog. But if a newspaper believes that high-quality, in-depth content can keep readers engaged to the very last line, that’s worth noting for businesses investing in quality content. 

The first part of the answer to “what’s the ideal length for a blog post?” is therefore: long-form can work. By “long”, we mean 1,000 words or more. In print terms, that’s roughly two A4 magazine pages. This is manageable on the sofa, perhaps less so on a screen. Unless, of course, the quality is high enough. And Google rewards that quality, too. 

As John Rampton explained on Forbes: “Googlebot looks at every piece of content on a page: words, titles, or any other information you share. A post with 1,500 words offers more flexibility with keywords, so you’re not limited to one or two specific ones. You can integrate multiple, less specific keywords that still remain relevant to your topic. This works because Google doesn’t return exact matches; it delivers results that are relevant to a subject.” (385 words) 

Why shorter blog posts can be valuable  

So yes, Google likes long blog posts, but that doesn’t mean short ones are automatically a bad idea. Author Seth Godin has built his reputation on short, powerful posts. Beyond quality, short posts also come with the advantage that your audience is far more likely to read them in full, time after time. 

This approach can even become a kind of format. You create an expectation, not just for when your posts appear, but also for their style and length. And the day Seth Godin does publish a longer post, it will be read. But most readers return for “their” short piece. 

Short posts can also work beautifully alongside a strong call-to-action strategy. A blog post can briefly spark interest, while other content formats—such as an eBook or a webinar —can explore the topic in more depth. You can then offer that in exchange for the reader’s contact details, turning curiosity into a lead. (549 words) 

There is no universal ideal length  

So, does size not matter? Actually, it does. While both short and long blog posts can be justified, your content goals should guide you. 

If your focus is search visibility, longer posts (800–1,000 words or more) generally perform better. 

If you already have strong visibility and your aim is to convert readers into leads, a shorter post (around 500 words) can be more effective. 

If your goals are mixed, there’s nothing wrong with finding a middle ground. 

But length alone won’t make your blog successful. Without a consistent writing style, a steady publishing schedule, clear tagging and meta descriptions, strong structure, and engaging visuals (images, video, infographics), even the most carefully measured word count will fall flat. (673 words)