Free Writing Tool

Free Headline Analyzer

Score any headline out of 100 on length, word balance, emotion and keyword placement, with a specific reason for every point lost. Updates as you type, no sign-up.

Scores update as you type. No sign-up, no limit.0 / 60 characters before Google truncates

How to analyse a headline

Three steps, and the second is the one most analyzers leave out:

1. Type your headline

Paste or write it into the field above. The score updates as you type, because nothing is sent anywhere to calculate it.

2. Add a target keyword

Optional, and the part other analyzers skip. If this headline will also be the title tag, we check the keyword is there and near the front.

3. Work through the fixes

You get a score out of 100 and a specific reason for every point lost, not a number with no explanation.

What actually makes a headline work

Most headlines fail the same way. They are accurate, grammatical, and say nothing a reader could not have guessed from the topic. A headline is not a label for the article, it is the promise the article has to keep.

That is why the score here weights structure and vocabulary rather than counting keywords. A how-to or a list sets an expectation. An emotional word gives the reader a reason to care. A power word makes the payoff concrete. A plain statement of the topic does none of those things, which is why it starts from a lower score even when it is perfectly written.

Worth saying plainly: a score is a second opinion, not a verdict. If you have a reason to disagree with it, the reason usually wins. The value is in the notes, not the number.

What this headline checker measures

Five dimensions, each with a note explaining what it cost you and how to fix it:

Length, measured against the SERP

Google truncates titles around 60 characters. We show your budget as you type and flag a headline that will be cut off in results.

Emotional words

Words that make a reader feel something, such as costly, effortless or shocking. A headline with none tends to state a subject without giving a reason to care.

Power words

Words that make the promise concrete: proven, complete, without, exact. They tell the reader what they actually get.

Word balance

The split between everyday connecting words and substantive ones. Too many and it says nothing; too few and it reads as a keyword string.

Keyword placement

Whether your target keyword appears, and how far into the headline. Earlier carries more weight with readers and search engines alike.

Headline types, and why the format matters

The structure does a lot of the work before a single word is chosen:

Type	Example	Why it works
How-to	How to Fix a Blocked Page in 10 Minutes	Promises a specific outcome and a clear path to it
List	7 Sitemap Mistakes That Cost You Traffic	Sets an expectation of scope, so the reader knows the shape of the piece
Question	Does Domain Age Actually Affect Rankings?	Mirrors the query, which is powerful when it matches what people search
Comparison	Sitemap vs Robots.txt: Which Controls What	Serves a reader already choosing between two things
Statement	The Guide to Technical SEO	Weakest by default, because it names a topic without a promise

Headlines for search, not just for clicks

Most headline analyzers score for social feeds and email subject lines. If your headline is also the title tag, two more things decide whether it works:

1It has to survive truncation. Google cuts titles around 60 characters. Anything past that is written for nobody, so the promise needs to land before the cut.
2The keyword should be near the front. Not stuffed, just present and early, so a searcher scanning results sees immediately that the page matches what they typed.

That is why this analyzer takes an optional target keyword and tracks your character budget live. To see exactly how the finished title will look in results, use our SERP preview tool. If you would rather start from suggestions than from a blank page, the SEO title generator writes five variants to score here, and the readability checker covers the article the headline is promising.

Headline mistakes worth avoiding

Six that cost clicks, the first two more than the rest:

Writing for the algorithm instead of the reader. A headline stuffed with keywords loses the click even when it ranks.
Burying the point. If the first three words could belong to any article, the headline is not working.
Promising more than the page delivers. The click costs nothing; the bounce costs everything.
Ignoring the truncation point. A headline cut off mid-phrase in results reads as careless.
Using no emotional or power words at all. Accurate and forgettable is still forgettable.
Reusing one format everywhere. A page of identical list headlines stops working on the second one.

Frequently asked questions

What is a headline analyzer?

A tool that scores a headline against the things that tend to make headlines work: length, structure, and the mix of ordinary, emotional and value-promising words. It is a second opinion rather than a verdict. A good analyzer tells you why it scored what it did, so you can disagree with it where you have a reason to.

How can I test my headlines?

Paste each one into the tool above and compare the scores and the notes. Write three or four variants rather than polishing one, since headlines improve far more by comparison than by editing in isolation. Where you have real traffic, an A/B test on the live page beats any score.

What is the best free headline analyzer?

The useful tests are whether it explains its score, whether it makes you sign up, and whether it considers search as well as clicks. This one is free with no account, explains every point deducted, and additionally checks how the headline behaves as a title tag, which most analyzers do not look at.

How do I create a headline?

Start from what the reader gets, not what the article is about. Name the outcome, then decide the format: how-to for a process, a list for a set of items, a question when it matches how people actually search. Write several, score them, and pick the one that makes the clearest promise you can keep.

How can I write a catchy headline?

Catchy usually means specific, not clever. A number, a concrete outcome or a named obstacle beats wordplay almost every time. One emotional word and one power word are typically enough; more than that starts reading as hype and readers discount it.

What should I write in a headline?

The promise, in the fewest words that keep it clear. If it will also serve as the title tag, get your main keyword in and as near the front as reads naturally, and keep the whole thing under about 60 characters so it is not cut off in search results.

What to avoid in writing headlines?

Vagueness above all: a headline whose first three words could belong to any article is not doing its job. Also avoid promising more than the page delivers, stuffing keywords at the cost of readability, and running past the truncation point so the headline is cut off mid-phrase.

What are examples of headlines?

The types table on this page has one for each format, from how-to and list to question, comparison and plain statement, along with what makes each work. Paste any of them into the analyzer to see how the scoring responds to a change in structure.

Does headline length affect SEO?

Indirectly, and mainly through the title tag. Google truncates titles at roughly 60 characters, so a longer headline is not penalised but the part past the cut is simply not shown. That matters because the visible portion is what someone decides to click on, and click behaviour is what a headline exists to influence.

Should my headline and title tag be the same?

They can be, and on most pages it is simpler when they are. They serve different readers though: the title tag is read in search results by someone deciding whether to click, the on-page headline by someone who has already arrived. If the two audiences need different phrasing, write two, and use our SERP preview tool to see how the title tag will actually appear.

How is the headline score calculated?

Deterministically, and the tool shows its working. Points come off for being too long or short for its purpose, for having no emotional or power words, for an unbalanced mix of everyday and substantive words, for a plain statement structure, and for a missing or late target keyword. Every deduction appears as a note, so nothing is hidden behind the number.

Is this headline analyzer free?

Completely, with no account, no limit and nothing to install. The analysis runs in your browser rather than on a server, which is why the score updates as you type and why there is no cap on how many headlines you test.

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