1
general::
1. Have importance or worth, as in Doesn't his long tenure count for anything? or Does this tournament count for computer points? This usage employs count in the sense of "enter into a reckoning." [Mid1800s] 2. count for nothing. Have no influence or effect, as in All his work counts for nothing since they've dropped the project. This idiom was first recorded in 1861.
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): count for something
to be valid for something; to be worth something. • Doesn’t all my work count for anything? • Your positive attitude counts for a lot as far as I’m concerned.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs