Writing · Utilities
Read time, keyword density, and content length
Three numbers matter when you write for the web: word count, read time, and keyword density. /word-counter/ computes all three plus characters, sentences, paragraphs, and the most common words.
TL;DR
Read time is words divided by reading speed (typically 200–250 wpm). Keyword density is the percentage of words that match your target keyword. Both have rules of thumb.
Word count and read time
Read time is calculated at 200–250 words per minute (wpm). The average adult reads English at 230 wpm. A 600-word post takes about 2.5 minutes to read. A 2000-word post takes about 9 minutes. Read time is a useful UX metric for blog posts — a reader who clicks a "5 minute read" link expects to be done in 5 minutes.
Keyword density
Keyword density is the percentage of words in your content that match your target keyword. A 600-word post with the keyword "DNS propagation" appearing 6 times has 1% keyword density. The historical SEO rule was 1–3%. Modern search engines care more about semantic relevance and natural usage than raw density. Stuffing the keyword 20 times into a 600-word post hurts more than it helps.
Sentence and paragraph length
Average sentence length for web content: 15–20 words. Average paragraph length: 2–4 sentences. Long blocks of unbroken text are hard to read on screens. Breaking content into shorter paragraphs and using subheadings every 200–300 words improves readability and engagement.
What word counter measures
Word count (whitespace-delimited tokens), character count (including and excluding spaces), sentence count (terminated by ., !, ?), paragraph count (separated by blank lines), reading time (at 230 wpm), keyword density (case-insensitive), and the most common words (excluding stop words). All in real time as you type.
Try it →
Run the Word counter tool on sitetrace.it.com — paste a value and get an instant answer.
Open Word counter