One of the most significant arguments marketing professionals still debate regarding SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is whether to prioritize depth or volume. Do you create a multitude of brief articles to write about as many subjects as you can? Or do you go deep, producing lengthy, in-depth content on fewer subjects, but more so?
As we enter the year 2025, search engines, particularly Google, have never been wiser. With updates revolving around helpfulness, authority, and intent of the user, the good old practices of “more is better” no longer apply as before. The question then becomes: what should businesses and content creators actually prioritize—content volume or content depth?
Let’s break it down:
What Do We Mean by Content Depth?
Depth of content is the extent to which a piece of content explores a subject. Rather than skimming the surface, deep content goes into:
- User intent – providing the “what,” “why,” and “how” behind a search question.
- Multiple perspectives – covering associated questions, FAQs, and scenarios.
- Practical solutions – providing readers with doable steps, not simply theory.
For instance, while one would write a 600-word article on “Benefits of SEO,” an in-depth one can be 2,500 words on SEO types, real-life scenarios, tools, strategies, and case studies.
Why it matters in 2025: Google’s helpful content system favors pages that describe problems in detail. Thin content repeating what’s already available online no longer ranks well.
What Do We Mean by Content Volume?
Content volume is about how much content you publish, regardless of depth. It’s about producing a large number of articles to cover a wide range of topics and keywords.
For example, instead of one deep guide on “Email Marketing Strategies,” a high-volume approach would be 10 short posts like:
- “Top 5 Email Marketing Tools”
- “How to Write an Email Subject Line”
- “Best Time to Send an Email Newsletter”
The concept is to cover varied keywords and rank on multiple queries.
Why it is important in 2025: Quantity still doesn’t ever go out of style. Blogging on a variety of topics helps your site become topically authoritative and cover different segments of the audience. But if every article is skimpy and lacks much value, it may have a chance to get overlooked or worse, harm rankings.
The Shift in 2025: Google Wants Quality First
The SEO landscape has changed a lot in the last couple of years. Google’s algorithm updates of 2023 and 2024 left no doubt behind that it prefers helpful, relevant, and authoritative content.
A few of the notable changes that have affected the depth versus volume controversy are as follows:
- Helpful Content Update: The pages that fail to provide actual value see their visibility fall.
- E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google prefers content penned by authority and actual-world experience.
- AI content saturation: There are so many sub-standard AI posts roaming the internet, superior human-like content that is detailed prevails.
Briefly put, depth triumphs over shallow quantity in 2025—but with balance still required.
Depth vs. Volume: Which Works Better for SEO?
Let’s compare the two directly:
Strengths of Content Depth
- Builds authority in your niche.
- Ranks for multiple keywords in one article.
- Keeps readers on your site longer.
- Encourages backlinks and shares.
- Reduces bounce rate because it answers questions fully.
Strengths of Content Volume
- Covers a wider range of topics.
- Helps target many long-tail keywords.
- Increases brand visibility.
- Keeps your website active and fresh.
Weakness of Relying on Just Depth
- Takes more time and resources.
- You may not cover as many keywords.
- Long content doesn’t guarantee ranking if not well-structured.
Weakness of Relying on Just Volume
- Risk of thin, repetitive, or duplicate content.
- Can confuse search engines with overlapping pages.
- Harder to maintain consistent quality.
What Works Better in 2025? A Balanced Approach
The real answer isn’t choosing either-or. Instead, the winning strategy in 2025 is combining both depth and volume smartly.
Here’s how:
1. Create Pillar (Deep) Content
Write long-form, detailed guides that fully cover broad topics. These act as pillar pages that establish authority. For example:
“The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing in 2025.”
These comprehensive articles rank for competitive keywords and demonstrate expertise.
2. Create Supporting (Volume) Content
Write shorter, related articles that point back to your pillar content. For instance:
“Top SEO Trends in 2025.”
“Why Voice Search Matters in Digital Marketing.”
“Best Free SEO Tools for Beginners.”
This strategy forms a content cluster, which informs Google about your site’s expertise and increases overall visibility.
3. Emphasize User Intent
Rather than merely writing about keywords, aim to address the reader’s real issue. In 2025, Google relies on sophisticated AI to understand the satisfaction signals of users such as:
Did the user remain on the page?
Did they find what they were seeking?
Deep + focused volume content will address those needs.
4. Keep Content Updated
Depth doesn’t just mean long—it also means fresh and accurate. Update your guides, statistics, and case studies regularly. A 2022 blog post left untouched won’t rank as well in 2025.
Real-World Example
Let’s imagine two websites:
Site A publishes 100 short blogs a month, each around 500 words. They cover many topics but without much detail. Readers quickly bounce because the content doesn’t provide depth. Rankings drop over time.
Site B produces 8 in-depth guides per month (2,000+ words) and 12 supportive brief posts. Its pillar pages dominate competitive terms, and supporting content ranks for long-tail terms. Users linger longer, pass on the guides, and the site gets backlinks.
According to the 2025 standards, Site B triumphs because it positions volume versus depth strategically.
Best Practices for SEO in 2025
If you’re looking to achieve success this year, the following are some tips that are helpful in practice:
Strive for quality rather than quantity—do not publish for publishing’s sake.
Integrate pillar content (depth) with cluster content (volume).
Make content in-depth through the use of simple headings, bullet points, and pictures.
Optimize for voice search and conversational search.
Optimize it to be mobile-device-friendly and achieve a high page speed.
Use Google Search Console to track performance and make adjustments in your strategy.
Final Thoughts
In 2025, SEO is not about keyword stuffing or writing endless posts. The true victors are sites that produce good, useful, and engaging content.
So, what is better, content depth or content volume?
The answer is: depth wins, but volume helps. Consider depth as the building block of your SEO plan and volume as the structure that builds upon it.
If you desire sustainable rankings, authority within your niche, and loyal readers, go deep where it counts—and leverage volume to grow your audience strategically.
That is, don’t pick one—excel at both.