π° Headline Analyzer
Paste a headline, get a 0 to 100 score and a fix list.
0 words, 0 characters
Headline Score
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How to Use This Calculator
Paste any blog headline, article title, or email subject into the box and the analyzer scores it from 0 to 100 across five proven factors: length, power words, emotional pull, numbers, and question or uncommon words. You get a component-by-component breakdown plus a plain-language list of exactly what to fix.
Paste your headline into the text box. The word and character count update as you type.
Read your overall score and the verdict: Excellent (80+), Good (60 to 79), Needs work (40 to 59), or Weak (under 40).
Check the breakdown to see which of the five factors is dragging the score down.
Work through the suggestions list, editing your headline directly in the box to watch the score change live.
Compare two or three headline variants side by side and publish the winner.
The Scoring Rubric
The rubric mirrors what headline research keeps confirming across publishers and A/B testing platforms. Length matters because truncated headlines lose their punch: 6 to 12 words fits the display limits of Google, social feeds, and inboxes while leaving room for a specific promise. Power words like proven, ultimate, and essential make benefits concrete instead of vague. Emotional words like amazing, surprising, and love trigger the curiosity that turns a scroll into a click. Numbers signal a scannable, finite payoff, and questions or uncommon words like mistakes, truth, or science add the novelty that stops thumbs. No single factor decides a headline; the score rewards the combination.
Worked Example
Headline: "7 Proven Ways to Save Money on Groceries" (8 words, 40 characters). Length: 8 words and 40 characters both sit in the ideal bands, so 25 out of 25. Power words: "proven" and "save" are both on the list, 2 x 9 = 18 out of 25. Emotional pull: no emotional trigger words, 0 out of 20. Number: the digit 7 earns the full 15 out of 15. Question or uncommon words: "ways" is an uncommon word but there is no question, so 7 out of 15. Total: 65 out of 100, a "Good" headline. The fix list is clear: add an emotional word and a third power word. Revised version: "7 Amazing Proven Ways to Save Money on Groceries Fast" (10 words, 53 characters). Length stays at 25, power words rise to 3 for the full 25, "amazing" adds 12 emotional points, the number keeps 15, and "ways" keeps 7. New total: 84 out of 100, "Excellent". Same topic, same promise, measurably stronger packaging.
Writing Headlines That Earn the Click
Start with the promise, not the topic: "Save Money on Groceries" is a topic, "7 Proven Ways to Save Money on Groceries" is a promise with proof attached. Front-load the most interesting word, because mobile feeds and search results cut titles from the right. Use one headline per idea: if your draft has an "and" joining two promises, you probably have two headlines. Test at least three variants before publishing; the first draft is rarely the winner. Match the headline to the content honestly, since a curiosity gap only works when the article closes it. Finally, remember the score is a guide, not a god: a 72 that perfectly matches search intent will beat an 88 that misleads. Write for the human first, then polish with the rubric.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good headline score?
On this tool, 80 to 100 is excellent and ready to publish, 60 to 79 is good with room to polish, 40 to 59 needs work before it will pull clicks, and under 40 is weak and should be rewritten. Most first drafts land between 45 and 65, so do not be discouraged by a middling first score: the suggestions list tells you exactly what to fix.
How long should a blog headline be?
Aim for 6 to 12 words and 35 to 65 characters. That range is long enough to make a specific promise and short enough to display in full in Google results, social shares, and RSS readers. Google typically shows about 55 to 60 characters of a title tag, so if your CMS appends your site name to the title, keep the headline itself a little shorter to leave room.
Do numbers in headlines increase clicks?
Yes, consistently. Headlines with numbers signal a concrete, scannable payoff, which is why listicles dominate high-traffic blogs. Odd numbers tend to feel more authentic than round ones, and small numbers (3 to 10) promise a quick read while larger ones promise depth. One caution: if every post on your blog is a numbered list, readers start tuning them out, so mix formats.
What are power words?
Power words are persuasive terms that trigger a psychological response: curiosity, desire, urgency, or trust. Words like proven, ultimate, essential, exclusive, and guaranteed make the benefit concrete instead of vague. This analyzer checks your headline against a built-in list of more than 40 power words and awards up to 25 points for using them. One to three is the sweet spot; stuffing five or six reads as hype.
Should I use clickbait?
No. There is a difference between a curiosity gap and clickbait: a good headline teases a real payoff that the article delivers, while clickbait promises something the content cannot back up. Misleading headlines earn the click and lose the reader, and they train your audience not to trust you. Score-chasing is fine, but never sacrifice accuracy for points.