What the Headline Score Analyzer does
This analyzer scores a headline against ten visible rules - length in characters and words, width in a desktop search result, a specific number, the target keyword and where it starts, vague or hype words, word length, capitals and punctuation - and shows every rule's points so you can see exactly why a headline scored what it did.
Paste several variants, one per line, to compare them side by side. The score is an editorial checklist, not a prediction of clicks or rankings, and everything runs in your browser.
How to use it
- Type or paste a headline. To compare options, put each variant on its own line; the first line gets the detailed breakdown.
- Add the keyword the page is about if you have one. Two extra rules then check that it is present and that it starts in the first half of the headline.
- Read the rule list. Green rules earned full points, amber rules earned part, red rules earned none, and each shows the measurement behind it.
- Check the search result preview. If the headline is likely to be cut off, the preview shows roughly where the ellipsis would fall.
- Rewrite the weakest variant, watch the score change as you type, then download the comparison as CSV.
Reading the results
The score is the points earned divided by the points available, times 100, rounded to a whole number. Without a keyword there are 80 points available; with a keyword, 95.
Length earns 15 points for 45-65 characters and 8 for 30-75. Words earns 10 for 6-13 words and 5 for 4-16. Width earns 15 up to 580 px, 10 up to 600 px and none above.
Specific needs a digit - a number, year, price or quantity. Vague or hype words such as "amazing", "secret" or "you won't believe" lose all 10 points. Short words needs an average of 6.5 letters or fewer. Words of four or more letters in capitals, and repeated ! or ?, each lose 5 points.
These thresholds are A2Z editorial conventions, chosen to catch headlines that are hard to scan or likely to be cut off. They are not published rules from any search engine.
Worked example: four variants of a cold brew guide title
Load the blog example with the keyword "cold brew coffee". The first headline, "How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home in 12 Hours", has 48 characters and 11 words, contains the number 12, and the keyword starts at character 13 of 48 - in the first half. Its words average 38 / 11 = 3.5 letters (counting the digits in 12). It earns all 95 points: a score of 100.
"You Won't Believe These AMAZING Coffee Things!!" is 47 characters and 7 short words, so length (15), word count (10), width (15) and short words (10) earn 50 points. It loses 10 for having no number, 15 for the missing keyword and its position, 10 for "you won't believe", "amazing" and "things", 5 for AMAZING in capitals and 5 for "!!". That is 50 of 95 points: 52.6, shown as 53.
The second variant is 90 characters long, outside even the 30-75 range, so it earns no length points and is likely to be cut off in a desktop search result; the preview shows roughly where.
Formulas and scoring rules
- Score
round(points earned / points available x 100)80 points without a keyword, 95 with one.- Keyword position
first half if the keyword's start index <= headline length / 2Matching ignores case and accents and needs whole words.- Width
canvas measureText at 20px ArialCompared with about 600 px, the commonly observed desktop limit.
Limitations: what the result does not prove
- A high score does not mean a headline will get clicks, and a low one does not mean it will fail. Audience, topic and placement matter more than any checklist.
- Search engines often rewrite titles, and the 600 px limit is an observed figure that changes with layout, device and font. The preview is an estimate.
- The width is measured with the Arial font installed on your device. If Arial is missing, a substitute font gives a slightly different width.
- The rules are tuned for English. Headlines in other languages get meaningful length and punctuation checks, but the word lists and word-length rule do not apply well.
Privacy: where your data goes
Everything you paste, type or drop is processed in this browser tab. It is not uploaded, logged, stored or sent to analytics. Session recording and tag-manager scripts are switched off on this page.
Standards and sources
- Google Search Central - Influencing your title links in search results
- GOV.UK - Content design: writing for GOV.UK (titles)
- MDN - CanvasRenderingContext2D.measureText()
Frequently asked questions
How long should a headline be?
This page gives full length points for 45 to 65 characters and 6 to 13 words, which usually fits a desktop search result and is quick to scan. It is a convention, not a rule: a short, clear headline that fits your layout is better than one padded to hit a range.
How many characters does Google show in a title?
Google does not publish a character limit. Desktop titles are cut by pixel width, commonly observed at around 600 pixels, which is often 55 to 65 characters depending on the letters. This page measures the pixel width of your actual headline instead of counting characters.
Why does a number in the headline earn points?
A number, year, price or quantity usually makes a headline more specific - "in 12 hours" tells the reader more than "quickly". It is one rule worth 10 points; a headline without a number can still be excellent.
Which words count as vague or hype?
The list includes words such as thing, stuff, amazing, ultimate, secret, insane, epic and phrases such as "you won't believe" and "this one trick". Any match is named in the rule's detail so you can decide whether it earns its place.
Should headlines use title case or sentence case?
It depends on your house style; both are shown but neither is scored. GOV.UK and many news sites use sentence case, while many blogs and US publications use title case. Pick one and use it consistently.
Can I compare A/B headline variants here?
Yes. Put each variant on its own line and the table ranks them by score, with the rules each one missed. That shows why one variant scores higher; only a real test with your audience shows which one performs better.
Last reviewed by the A2Z.Tools team against the sources listed above.
