Why count again before submit
Platforms often cap title, body and summary length. After heavy edits it is easy to overrun. Count critical blocks separately, then re-check the full draft.
Suggested flow
1) Structure the draft in Markdown preview; 2) paste the body into Word Counter; 3) count title and intro alone; 4) dedupe reference links. Usually done in five minutes.
Why local tools help
Unpublished drafts may include private notes. Local compute avoids uploading full manuscripts to unknown sites.