In general, the more competition there is on Google for your main keyword phrase, the higher POP's target word count will be.
POP counts all the text which is visible anywhere on your page, including:
• Ordinary paragraph text, bold and italic text, links and lists
• Titles: including your Site Title, Page Title and Block Titles
• FAQ blocks
• Buttons and Mega Buttons
• Image descriptions
Google takes all the important terms into consideration, wherever they are located on your page.
POP will not count text in some kinds of blocks, including:
• Ecwid and Sellfy E-commerce Store blocks
• YouTube or other videos
• Google Map blocks
• Contact Forms
Should I Reduce my Word Count?
Even if your word count is currently over POP's initial target, it is almost never a good idea to reduce your word count. In the Word Count section in POP's score and advice screen you will still see the green circle even if your word count is more than POP's target.