What is the difference between Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level?
Both are readability formulas using the same inputs (sentence length and syllables) but scaled differently. Flesch Reading Ease gives a score from 0–100 where higher is easier. FK Grade Level gives the US school grade needed to understand the text — Grade 8 is ideal for general web content. For SEO, aim for a Reading Ease above 60 and a Grade Level below 10.
What is the SMOG Index used for?
SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) estimates the years of education a reader needs. It counts polysyllabic words (3+ syllables) which are the strongest predictor of reading difficulty. It is more accurate than Flesch-Kincaid for health and government communications. SMOG needs at least 30 sentences for reliable results.
What are bigrams and trigrams and why do they matter for SEO?
Bigrams are two consecutive words ("search engine", "keyword density") and trigrams are three-word phrases. Google uses phrase frequency to understand topic relevance. Over-repeated bigrams/trigrams signal keyword stuffing. Natural, varied phrasing with relevant n-grams improves topical authority and avoids manual penalties.
What does the Type-Token Ratio (TTR) measure?
TTR divides the number of unique words by the total word count. A ratio of 100% means every word is different. Academic texts score 40–60%; general web content typically 30–50%. A TTR under 25% suggests repetitive writing or keyword stuffing. Use it to gauge vocabulary variety before publishing.
How does the text comparison feature work?
Switch to Compare mode and paste two texts into the side-by-side textareas. Click Compare Now to see a full metrics table. Blue badges highlight the text with the better value for each metric. Useful for comparing article versions or benchmarking against a competitor's page.
Can I export the results?
Yes. Use "Export Stats CSV" to download all statistics as a spreadsheet-compatible file. "Export Keywords CSV" downloads the keyword density tables for single words, bigrams, and trigrams. Useful for tracking content metrics over time or sharing analysis with clients.
How is reading time calculated?
Reading time is calculated at 200 words per minute (wpm) — the average silent reading speed for adults on a screen. Speaking time uses 125 wpm, the average conversational speaking pace. For a 1,000-word article: reading time ≈ 5 minutes, speaking time ≈ 8 minutes. These are estimates and vary by individual reading speed.
How does this count words differently from Microsoft Word?
Both tools split text on whitespace, but may differ slightly in how they count hyphenated words, contractions, and special characters. Generally results are within 1–2% of each other. For precise academic or editorial word counts, always verify against your required tool (Word, Google Docs, etc.).
What is a good keyword density for SEO?
There is no magic number, but a 1–2% density for your primary keyword is a common guideline. At 2%+, Google may interpret the content as keyword-stuffed. More important is that keywords appear naturally in the content, title, headings, and meta description. Use the Bigram and Trigram tabs to check phrase frequency too.
How many words should my blog post be for SEO?
For informational posts, 1,000–1,500 words typically performs well. Competitive keywords often require 2,000–3,500 words of comprehensive coverage. However, word count alone does not determine rankings — content quality, topical depth, E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness), and user engagement signals all matter more.