Headline analyzer: score a title before you publish it
A headline decides whether anyone reads the rest. This headline analyzer scores a blog title, article headline or page title from 0 to 100 using the checks editors and SEO teams apply by hand: length, word balance, sentiment, headline type, a number, strong opening and closing words, clarity and reading grade. A Google-style preview measures the title in pixels and shows where results would cut it. A separate Email subject line mode checks a subject and its preview text instead.
Every point becomes a concrete suggestion (“shorten by 12 characters”, “add a number”) so you can rewrite and watch the score change. Compare up to 10 puts variants side by side and exports CSV. The score is a heuristic from widely published guidelines, not a model trained on your audience. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use the Headline Analyzer
- Type a headline into Headline. Add a Focus keyword if the page targets one.
- Read the score, the Suggestions and the Score breakdown to see which checks lost marks.
- Check Word balance and the Google preview for where the title is cut.
- Rewrite, compare the new score and press Copy report. For several candidates, use Compare up to 10 and download the CSV.
- For email, choose Email subject line, enter the subject and optional preview text, and read the seven checks and the inbox preview.
Headline Analyzer features
Nine weighted checks
Length, word balance, sentiment, type, number, opening and closing words, clarity, readability and case, totalling 100.
Embedded word lists
Common, emotional, power and jargon word lists and a compact sentiment lexicon are built in; no network calls.
Email subject line checks
Length against mobile and desktop guidance, spam-style wording, capitals, punctuation, emoji, merge tags and preview-text pairing.
Headline type detection
Recognises how-to, list, question, “X vs Y”, quote, negative and “you/your” headlines.
Pixel-measured preview
Measured in Arial 20 px (desktop, ~580 px) and 16 px (mobile), as in the SERP Preview tool.
Actionable suggestions
How many characters to cut, which words to replace and where the keyword sits.
Compare mode with CSV export
Up to 10 headlines in one table; the best is highlighted.
How the 100 points are awarded
| Check | Max | Full marks when |
|---|---|---|
| Length in characters | 15 | 50–60 characters |
| Length in words | 10 | 6–12 words |
| Word balance | 25 | 20–40% common, 10–30% uncommon, 10%+ emotional, 2+ power |
| Sentiment | 10 | Clearly positive or negative |
| Headline type | 10 | How-to, list, question, X vs Y, quote, negative or you/your |
| Contains a number | 5 | A digit or a number word |
| Opening and closing words | 10 | A strong word in the first three and last three words |
| Clarity | 10 | No 13+ letter words, jargon or repeats |
| Readability and case | 5 | Grade 8 or below, consistent case |
Email subject line mode
Pick Email subject line to test a subject and its preview text (preheader). It counts visible characters the way the character counter does (an emoji is one character) and compares the length with rough figures for what inboxes show: about 40 characters on many phones and about 60 on desktop. Those numbers are guidance only; real truncation varies by app, device and font, so send yourself a test.
It then flags wording from the tool’s own list of roughly 55 promotional or spam-style phrases (“act now”, “limited time”, “free gift”, “$$$”), shouting capitals, stacked “!!!”, more than three emoji, an unexplained “Re:” or “Fwd:” prefix, an empty or repeated preview text and unreplaced merge tags. The list is a heuristic, not any mailbox provider’s rules, and the result is a count of checks clear, not a score. Nothing here predicts open rates; A/B-test on your own list for that. For the body use the email spam score checker; for results the metrics calculator.
Common, uncommon, emotional and power words
Common words (the, how, your, best) make a headline readable but say little on their own; uncommon words are the specific nouns and verbs that carry the topic (groceries, budget, lens); emotional words make the reader feel something (surprising, honest, nightmare); and power words promise a payoff (proven, step-by-step, free). A mix works best.
The sentiment check uses a small lexicon with simple negation (“not easy” counts as negative). It shows slant, not whether the slant suits the topic.
Length: characters, words and pixels
Google does not cut titles at a character count; it cuts at roughly 580 pixels on desktop, about 55–60 characters of English in Arial 20 px. Wide glyphs such as W and M use more space, so the preview measures real widths and shows where the “...” would appear. On phones the title can wrap to two lines of about 350 px.
The 6–12 word range reflects how people scan. The SEO Title Generator produces variants to paste into compare mode, and the Meta Tag Generator builds the matching tags.
Headline Analyzer FAQ
What is a good headline analyzer score?
65 and above is good and 80 and above is excellent on this scale. Below 50 usually means a specific fixable problem. A clear, honest 75 beats a contrived 95.
How long should an email subject line be?
There is no official limit. Many phone inboxes show roughly 40 characters and desktop around 60, so put the key words first and treat anything past that as bonus. These are rough figures that vary by app and device.
Does this predict my open rate?
No. The email mode applies rule-based checks (length, wording, formatting) and cannot know your audience, sender reputation or timing. Use it to catch avoidable problems, then A/B-test.
Is the score the same as in other headline tools?
No. Every analyzer uses its own lists and weights. Use this score to compare versions of the same headline.
How many characters should a headline be?
For a page title shown in Google, aim for 50–60 characters so it is not cut on desktop. Headlines on the page itself can be longer.
Why does it say my keyword should move forward?
Readers and search engines give more weight to the first words. If the focus keyword starts after the third word, the tool suggests moving it earlier — “Save Money on Groceries: 10 Proven Ways” leads with the topic.
Does a question or a number really help?
Numbers and recognisable formats set clear expectations, which is why they are rewarded, but a list headline with nothing behind it still disappoints.
Can I analyse headlines in other languages?
The word lists and rules are English. Other languages still get character, word and pixel measurements, but balance, sentiment and type checks are unreliable.