Raw Word Count is the number of words in the broadest text extraction RankGear pulls from a page — every word its raw counting pattern captures, before any trimming or filtering.
| Term | Raw Word Count |
|---|---|
| Category | Content and Topical Relevance |
| Also known as | Raw Words |
| Where it appears | BM25 Drafts word-count table and Density |
What it means in RankGear
Raw Word Count is the widest of RankGear’s length measurements. When the tool extracts a page it applies a raw counting pattern that keeps essentially all of the readable text it can reach, and the total of those words becomes the raw count. You see it in the BM25 Drafts word-count table, where it sits alongside your draft and the competing pages, and it feeds the Density view that expresses term usage as a share of total words. Because it is the broadest figure, it usually runs higher than narrower counts that strip boilerplate or non-body text.
How to interpret it
Read Raw Word Count as a length reference point, not a target. Its most useful form is comparison: line your draft up against the pages already ranking for the query and see whether you are in the same range or far short of it. A large gap is a prompt to check for missing coverage — entities, questions, or supporting concepts the field addresses and you do not — rather than a signal to pad. Add words only when they carry genuinely useful information. Because raw counting is deliberately inclusive, treat the exact number as approximate and expect it to sit above stricter counts of the same page.
| Compared with | What differs |
|---|---|
| Density | Density divides term occurrences by the word total; Raw Word Count is that denominator. |
| Narrower counts | Trimmed or filtered counts drop boilerplate and non-body text, so they read lower than the raw figure. |
Example
You draft a guide and the BM25 Drafts table shows a raw count of 900 words, while the ten ranking pages cluster between 1,800 and 2,400. The gap tells you the field treats the topic more thoroughly than your draft does. Scanning the competitors, you find they each answer three follow-up questions and define two related entities you skipped. Covering those naturally lifts the count toward the field — not because a longer page ranks better, but because the added material closes real coverage gaps.
Important considerations
- Raw Word Count describes length, nothing more. It does not measure quality, relevance, or how well a page will rank.
- The figures in the word-count table are comparative indicators drawn from the pages you are analyzing, not Google scores. A count near the field’s range does not cause a page to rank.
- Because raw counting is inclusive, the number can absorb navigation, boilerplate, or repeated text; sanity-check large totals rather than treating them as pure body length.
- More words is not the goal. Repetition, keyword stuffing, and unsupported claims add length without building topical authority, and any added wording should preserve the page’s search intent.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.