Headline Analyzer

How is the score calculated?

It starts at 40 and adds or subtracts fixed points for word count, character length against the platform limit, power words, emotional words, numbers, structure marks and the share of common words, then caps the total between 0 and 100. The full list of rules is in the table on this page. The weights are the tool’s own rules of thumb, not measured click-through data, and the score cannot predict how a headline will actually perform.

Why did a power word like "secrets" or "simply" not count?

Matching is exact. After lower-casing and trimming punctuation from both ends of each word, the word must equal an entry in the list of 36 power words or 28 emotional words. "Secret" is on the power list but "secrets" is not, and "simple" is on it but "simply" is not. Punctuation attached to a word is fine: "Secret:" and "Free!" are both recognised.

What counts as a number?

A word made up only of digits once the punctuation around it is removed. "10", "30" and "5%" count; "30-Day" does not, because the hyphen and letters make it a different word, and "1,000" does not because of the comma. You get +10 for any such number and an extra +3 if the headline starts with a digit.

Why does the character limit change with the content type?

Each type has its own limit that is compared with the full headline length, spaces included: 60 for a blog post, 50 for an email subject, 30 for an ad headline, 60 for a YouTube title and 65 for a news article. Within the limit you get +10, over it −5. The same 53-character headline therefore passes as a blog title and fails as an ad headline. The limits are the tool’s settings; where a platform actually cuts text off depends on the platform and the device.

Why are the alternative headlines sometimes awkward?

They are produced mechanically. The tool removes a leading "How to", "Why", "What", "The", "10" or "5", then wraps the rest in a fixed pattern: "7 …", "How to …" or "The Ultimate Guide to …", or adds "(With Examples)" if the headline already has a number. For a topic-style title such as "Thermal Imaging Explained" the results are readable; for a sentence or question such as "What Is a Heat Pump?" they come out as "7 Is a Heat Pump?" and need rewriting by hand.

Does the tool check grammar, spam words, clarity or search keywords?

No. It never checks whether your headline makes sense, matches the content or contains your target keyword. The platform tip below the score is a short fixed sentence for the selected type, for example advice to avoid spam trigger words in emails, but the tool does not scan for such words. It looks only at word count, length, listed words, numbers, punctuation marks and common-word share.

What does the "common words" percentage measure?

The share of words that appear on a short list of everyday words such as the, your, how, what, will and can. A share between 20% and 40% earns +5. A very short headline can score 0% and a question such as "What Is a Heat Pump?" scores 60%, and the tool flags both. This is a rough balance check, not a measure of how natural the wording sounds.

What do the letter grades mean?

They are bands of the 0 to 100 score: 80 and above is A, 65 to 79 is B, 50 to 64 is C, 35 to 49 is D and below 35 is F. A one-word headline of "Tips" scores 45 as an email subject, a D, because it gains points for fitting the limit and loses points for being too short. Use the grade to compare drafts of the same headline, not to judge one against another topic.