How to use the Headline Analyzer
Headlines do 80% of the work of getting clicked. The analyzer breaks down what makes yours work or fail — power words, emotion, length, structure — and suggests improvements.
Enter the headline
Paste your blog title, SEO title tag, email subject, or social post headline. The analyzer scores all four contexts (each has different rules).
Check the score and breakdown
Overall score 0–100. Below the headline you'll see the contributing factors: power words found, emotional words found, sentiment, length, and structure type (how-to, listicle, question, etc.).
Review the suggestions
The analyzer flags weaknesses: too long, missing emotional appeal, no power words, weak verbs. Each suggestion is paired with an example fix.
Iterate to a 70+ score
Headlines scoring 70+ consistently outperform unscored ones in CTR tests. Below 50, rewrite. Aim for the upper end of 70–85; over 90 starts feeling clickbait-y.
Why headlines decide whether your content gets read
On average, only 2 out of 10 readers move from headline to body. The headline is doing 80% of the conversion work — and most writers spend 10% of their time on it. A small upgrade in headline craft compounds across every piece you publish.
What makes a headline work
- Power words — Free, Proven, Ultimate, Definitive, Insider. Use 1, not 5.
- Emotional words — Surprising, Brutal, Embarrassing, Genius. Triggers curiosity gap.
- Specific numbers — "7 ways" outperforms "Some ways". Odd numbers (7, 11) outperform even numbers slightly.
- Brackets — [Updated], [Free Tool], [Video] — eyes lock on brackets in feed scroll.
- Question form — "Should you..." works for informational queries.
- Year — "in 2025" lifts CTR ~10–15% on evergreen topics.
What kills a headline
- Generic verbs — "Looking at", "Thinking about", "Considering".
- Hedging — "might", "could", "possibly".
- Vague benefits — "Better results", "Improved performance".
- Brand name first — wastes the most-read characters.
- Over-promising — "The only guide you'll ever need" reads as desperate.
- Length over 60 characters for SEO titles, 70 for email subjects.
Different rules for different surfaces
A headline that works for SEO titles often flops as an email subject. SEO titles need keyword early; email subjects need curiosity hook. Social headlines need emotional charge; SEO titles need clarity. Always score the headline against the surface it's targeting.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good headline score?
70+ on a 0–100 scale is the threshold where headlines consistently outperform in CTR tests. Below 50, rewrite. The upper sweet spot is 70–85 — over 90 often tips into clickbait territory that performs worse on quality-focused audiences.
How long should an SEO title be?
50–60 characters or under 580 pixels (Google's desktop snippet width). Mobile cuts at 480 pixels. Front-load the keyword in the first 30 characters — mobile truncation drops anything past that on long titles.
What are power words in headlines?
Words known to lift click-through rates by appealing to curiosity, urgency, or specificity. Examples: Proven, Ultimate, Free, Definitive, Insider, Hidden, Brutal, Genius. Use one or two — stuffing five into a headline reads as desperate and reduces trust.
Do numbers in headlines actually help?
Yes — specific numbers consistently outperform vague claims. "7 ways to X" gets more clicks than "Several ways to X". Odd numbers (3, 5, 7, 11) slightly outperform even numbers. The number sets a clear expectation about the content's structure.
Should the headline match the SEO title exactly?
Often yes for SEO consistency, but they can differ. The blog post H1 is the user-facing headline (can be longer, more emotional). The SEO title (<title> tag) is what appears in the SERP (must be ≤ 580 px and keyword-front-loaded). Many CMSes let you set them independently.
What Makes a Great Headline?
Your headline is the single most important element of any piece of content. On average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but only 2 out of 10 will click through to read the rest. A strong headline can make the difference between content that gets seen and content that gets ignored.
Key Elements of High-Performing Headlines
- Optimal length: The best headlines are 6 to 13 words long and 50 to 70 characters. This range performs best in search results and social media shares, where longer headlines get truncated.
- Power words: Words like "proven," "ultimate," "free," and "instant" trigger emotional responses and increase click-through rates by up to 13%.
- Numbers and lists: Headlines that start with a number (e.g., "7 Ways to...") consistently outperform other headline formats in A/B tests.
- Emotional appeal: Headlines that evoke curiosity, urgency, or surprise generate more engagement than neutral statements.
- Clarity over cleverness: Readers should immediately understand what they will learn. Avoid vague or overly clever headlines that confuse your audience.
How the Headline Score Works
Our analyzer evaluates your headline across multiple dimensions to produce a score from 0 to 100. The score is a weighted combination of word count optimization, character length for SEO, word balance (the mix of common, uncommon, emotional, and power words), headline type effectiveness, sentiment analysis, and readability grade level.
Headlines scoring above 70 are considered strong and ready to publish. Scores between 50 and 70 are decent but could benefit from tweaks. Below 50 indicates significant room for improvement. Use the suggestions provided to iteratively improve your headline until it reaches the green zone.