Free Headline Analyzer
Score any headline out of 100, see exactly why, and get three stronger rewrites. Free, no signup.
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- Unlimited use
A headline analyzer scores a single headline from 0 to 100 so you can tell if it will get clicks before you publish. Paste your headline into this free RankFirst tool and it grades the length, word count, power words, sentiment, whether it uses a number, and clarity, then hands you plain fixes and three stronger rewrites.
What makes a headline work
A headline has one job: make the right reader stop and click. The best ones do it with a few concrete signals working together. They are specific rather than vague, so the reader knows exactly what they will get. They lead with a benefit or a clear how or why, so the payoff is obvious in the first three words. They use a number or a power word to break the pattern of plain text and promise a defined scope. And they stay short enough to read in one glance. This tool checks each of those signals against your headline and tells you which ones are missing, so you are not guessing.
How long should a headline be for SEO
Aim for about 6 to 12 words and roughly 55 characters. That range comes from analyses of millions of headlines: it is long enough to be specific and short enough to read at a glance. There is also a hard technical ceiling. Google truncates title tags wider than about 600 pixels, which works out to roughly 60 characters, and headlines over 70 characters get rewritten by Google almost every time. So keep your most important words, the keyword and the promise, inside the first 60 characters, and cut filler words like the, a, and how to before you touch the words that carry meaning.
Do headlines with numbers and power words perform better
Yes, and the effect is measurable. Headlines that contain a number are roughly 36% more likely to be clicked, because a numeral stands out in a line of letters and signals a clear, finite scope. Power words, emotionally charged words like proven, effortless, essential, or secret, do similar work by triggering curiosity or urgency. The Advanced Marketing Institute found that ordinary writing is about 20% emotional words, competent copywriters reach 30 to 40%, and the best hit 50 to 75%. You do not need to hit those numbers, but a headline with zero emotional pull almost always underperforms one with a little.
Why your headline is not getting clicks
If a page gets impressions but few clicks, the headline is usually the reason, and the causes are predictable. The wording is bland and carries no emotional or power word. There is no number or list format to signal scope. It runs past 60 characters and gets cut off in the results. It states a topic but never names the benefit, so the reader has no reason to act. Or it tries to speak to everyone and lands with no one. Run your headline through the analyzer, read the breakdown, and fix the one or two factors scoring lowest before you rewrite the whole thing.
Questions, answered
What is a headline analyzer?
A headline analyzer is a tool that scores a single headline, usually from 0 to 100, and tells you how likely it is to get clicks. It measures signals like word count, character length, whether the headline uses a number, its power and emotional words, sentiment, and clarity, then reports a grade plus specific ways to improve it. This one also gives you three ready rewrites.
How long should a headline be for SEO?
Keep it around 55 characters and 6 to 12 words. Google truncates title tags wider than about 600 pixels, which is roughly 60 characters, and headlines over 70 characters get rewritten by Google almost every time. Put your keyword and your main promise inside the first 60 characters so nothing important gets cut off in the search result.
How many words should a headline be?
About 6 to 12 words is the sweet spot for most blog and article headlines. Analyses of large headline datasets point to roughly 11 words as a strong average for engagement, while SEO caps you near 55 to 60 characters. Fewer than six words is often too vague to earn a click, and more than twelve tends to get truncated or lose focus.
Do headlines with numbers perform better?
Usually, yes. Studies have found headlines with a number are around 36% more likely to be clicked, because a numeral breaks the pattern of plain text and signals a clear, finite scope, like 7 tips or 5 mistakes. Odd numbers and list formats tend to over-perform. The one rule: do not force a number where it is dishonest, since an accurate headline beats a clickable lie.
What are power words in headlines?
Power words are emotionally charged words that trigger a psychological response, such as curiosity, urgency, or desire, and push the reader to click. Examples include proven, effortless, essential, secret, ultimate, and guaranteed. Used sparingly and honestly they lift click-through rate. Overused they read as clickbait, so aim for one strong power word per headline rather than stacking several.
Is this headline analyzer free?
Yes, completely. There is no account, no email, and no usage cap, so you can score as many headlines as you like. RankFirst builds these free tools as a sample of what the product does at scale, then researches, writes, and publishes optimized content to your blog every day on autopilot.
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