Every bit of counter that has 12" of cabinets or more needs a plug. They need to be located no further apart than 48". All islands and peninsulas require a plug on the side. There should be 2 separate 20 amp small appliance circuits, and dedicated circuits for the microwave, refrigerator, instant hot, or anything that requires a large amount of amps.

4 feet is code. I opted for more. Cooks Kitchen dives in deeper.

The code actually uses the 24" measurement - as in less than 24" to a sink, range, end of countertop, or to any point along the wall. (Which means 48" between receptacles when they are in succession on a long, uninterupted countertop.)

https://codes.iccsafe.org/public/document/code/553/9875212

I think the best way is to figure out what is going where on your countertops. Your coffee maker, microwave (if not built in), toaster oven, mixer - you know what you have and where it needs to go. Be sure there is a plug there.