Headline Analyzer
A second opinion on a headline: its length in words and pixels, where a search result would cut it, the mix of words in it, and a rubric that shows its working.
# 90 out of 100, by the rubric below
Headline 7 fast ways to speed up a slow WordPress site
Words 10
Characters 45
Pixel width 408 of 580 on desktop
In results shown in full
# Word mix
Specific 7, ways, speed, wordpress, site
Promising none
Feeling fast, slow
Common 3 of 10
# Rubric
+30 6 to 12 words, which stays scannable
+25 fits a desktop search result without being cut
+15 5 specific words, so it says something
+0 no word that promises the reader anything
+10 carries a feeling: fast, slow
+10 has a recognisable shape: starts with a number
# The score is a rubric, not a finding: the word lists are judgement calls and the
# weights are mine. The pixel width is the only measured fact here.Output is valid and updates as you type.
Fix the highlighted fields to update the output.
A second opinion on a headline: how long it is in words and in pixels, where a search result would cut it, what kinds of words it is made of, and a rubric that shows its working.
How to use
- Type or paste the headline. The one measured fact appears first: its pixel width against the search result budget.
- Read the word mix. A headline made entirely of common words rarely says anything; two or three specific words usually fix it.
- Read the rubric, not the score. Each line says what it added or took away and why, so you can disagree with a line rather than with a number.
- Switch to mobile if that is where your traffic is. Mobile titles get a smaller budget at a smaller font size, which is not the same trade.
Example
# 100 out of 100, by the rubric below
Headline 7 fast ways to speed up a slow WordPress site
Words 9
Characters 44
Pixel width 373 of 580 on desktop
In results shown in full
# Word mix
Specific ways, speed, slow, wordpress, site
Promising quick
Feeling fast
Common to, aThe pixel width is the part to trust. Character counts are a proxy: “Illinois” and “WWWWWWWW” are both eight characters and nowhere near the same width.
Pitfalls
- The score is a rubric, not research. The word lists are judgement calls and the weights are a house style; the breakdown is the useful part.
- A title tag and an H1 are different jobs. The title competes in a list of ten results; the H1 confirms to somebody who already clicked that they are in the right place.
- Truncation is not a penalty. Google cuts long titles and often rewrites them entirely, using the H1 or link text instead; a cut title is a missed opportunity, not a demotion.
- Counting characters instead of pixels is the usual mistake. Capital letters and wide characters eat the budget twice as fast as an “i” or an “l”.
- Power words go stale. “Ultimate” and “complete” worked because they were rare; a page of them reads like every other page.
- Numbers work because they promise a shape, not because they are numbers. “7 ways” tells a reader how long the article is.
- Writing in capitals reads as shouting and takes pixels for nothing, since capitals are wider.
- The brand suffix counts. If your site appends ” | Brand Name” you are spending 100 pixels or so before you start.
Compatibility
The pixel measurement is the same approximation the SERP preview uses, calibrated against the font and size Google renders results at: 20 pixels on desktop with a 580 pixel budget, 18 on mobile with 500. It is an estimate, not a screenshot. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.