Word Count & Targets

Longer, well-structured articles tend to rank better in search - up to a point. theStacc handles article length for you automatically, then measures the real word count of every finished post and factors it into the SEO score. This page explains how that works and what a healthy length looks like.

How length is decided#

You don't have to pick a word count by hand. When theStacc plans a blog post, the AI sets a target length for that specific article based on its topic and the type of post it is (a how-to guide, a listicle, an in-depth guide, and so on). That target is used as a hint that steers the writing - it's a goal, not a hard limit.

In practice the generator aims for substantial, in-depth posts - typically a few thousand words for a full article - because that depth is what helps content rank and genuinely answer a reader's question. Different post types get different targets: an ultimate guide is written to be longer and broader than a short, focused how-to.

There is no manual word-count slider in your settings today. Length is chosen per article during generation, so you get a sensible target for each topic without having to tune a number yourself.

The actual word count#

After a post finishes generating, theStacc measures its real word count. It does this by stripping out all the HTML formatting (headings, images, links, and styling tags) and counting only the visible words a reader would actually see. That number is saved with the post and shown on the dashboard.

You'll see it on the blog detail page, next to the SEO score, displayed as something like 1,850 words. This is the true length of the published article - not an estimate - so it's the number to trust when you're checking whether a post is long enough.

The same word count is also used as one of the inputs to your SEO score, so it does double duty: it tells you how long the post is, and it feeds into how well the post is rated.

How length affects your SEO score#

Every generated post receives an SEO score from 0 to 100. One of the things that score measures is content length and depth. Here's roughly how word count maps to that part of the score:

• 1,000 to 4,000 words - the ideal range. Posts in this band get full marks for length.
• 500 to 999 words - decent, but the score nudges you to aim higher. You'll see a suggestion like "Aim for 1,000 to 4,000 words for better rankings."
• Over 4,000 words - still scores well, but very long. The score may suggest splitting the topic into more than one focused article.
• 300 to 499 words - too thin. The score flags it and suggests aiming for at least 1,000 words.
• Under 300 words - very short, and scored lowest for length.

Length isn't the whole story. The depth portion of the score also looks at how many subheadings you have (it likes 5 or more H2 and H3 headings) and how well your paragraphs are sized, so a long post that's just one big block of text won't score as well as a long post that's broken up into clear sections.

Some post types expect more#

The score also checks whether a post delivers what its format promises. In-depth formats are held to a higher length bar. An ultimate guide, for example, is expected to have broad coverage - around 6 or more main sections (H2s) and 1,500+ words - to earn full marks for matching its intent. A short, focused how-to is judged differently and doesn't need to be that long. So the "right" length depends partly on the kind of article you're publishing.

What this means for you#

• You don't need to set a word count. theStacc picks a sensible target for each article automatically.
• Check the word count shown on the blog detail page to confirm a post landed in a healthy range - roughly 1,000 to 4,000 words for most articles.
• If a post comes back shorter than you'd like, the SEO analysis panel will tell you, with a specific suggestion. You can use Regenerate or Generate more to expand it.
• For deeper formats like ultimate guides, aim higher - 1,500 words and up, with plenty of subheadings.

Related#

• Preferences - set your writing style, image style, CTA links, and other content options.
• SEO Scoring Explained - the full breakdown of how every post is scored, category by category.