Headline Analyzer

Paste a headline and the analyzer scores it on word count, character count, common power words, emotional words, and readability. The output flags issues: too long for SERP display (over 60 chars), too few words (under 5), no power words, all-question or all-list-style.

Good headlines for organic search sit between 50 and 60 characters and front-load the keyword. Good headlines for social media can be longer and lean harder on emotional hooks. The analyzer doesn't pick a venue for you — it gives you the metrics so you can decide whether the headline matches the channel.

Don't optimize headlines to a perfect score. Headlines that score perfectly often sound like they came out of a content marketing factory, which is now its own kind of negative signal. Use the score to spot real problems, not to chase a number.

What the score components measure: character count (Google truncates titles around 60 chars on desktop, 50 on mobile — your keyword and intent should fit before the cutoff). Word count (under 5 reads thin; over 12 reads bloated). Power words (free, new, secret, ultimate — words from copywriting tradition that test well). Emotional words (positive: amazing, breakthrough; negative: disaster, mistakes — extremes outperform neutral). Reading grade level (Flesch-Kincaid grade — for general audiences, target 6th-8th grade; for technical or specialized audiences, higher is fine). Sentiment polarity. Headline format (question, listicle, how-to, declarative).

Worked example: input headline 'Some Tips for Writing Better.' Score: weak. Character count 30 (low). Word count 5 (borderline). Power words 0. Emotional words 0. Sentiment neutral. Suggested improvements: add a number ('7 Tips'), add a power word ('Proven Tips'), name the audience or use case ('for Busy Founders'), add specificity ('That Actually Land'). Revised headline: '7 Proven Tips for Writing Headlines That Actually Land.' Character count 56 (in SERP range). Power words 'Proven.' Emotional 'Actually Land.' Number for listicle format. Score jumps significantly. Compare to a clickbait extreme: 'You Won't BELIEVE These INSANE Writing Tips!!!' — high power and emotion but also reads as low-trust. The analyzer surfaces both, you decide which channel deserves which voice.

Where the score lies: search-engine ranking factors have shifted toward user behavior signals (click-through, dwell time, return-to-search) and away from on-page heuristics. A perfectly-scored headline that gets ignored beats a 'low score' headline that earns clicks every time. The analyzer can't measure click-through; only A/B testing in the actual context can. Use the score as a sanity check, not a verdict — write three variations, ship two, measure which performs better. The metric that beats every analyzer is real audience response.