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Google Ads Headline Checker

A Google Responsive Search Ad headline (RSA = Google’s multi-headline search ad) is 30 characters, including spaces. Over that, the line is cut or dropped. Count first. Then paste into Google Ads.

The tool

Try it here

Use this when you have headlines from a brief, a sheet, or the copy generator, and you are about to paste them into Google Ads. Not after a pin disappears from serving.

One headline per line · 30 characters · 15 max

Spaces count. Google needs 3 passing lines to serve. Cap is 15.

Headlines check

Copy passing lines

Why it helps

Why you need a Google Ads Headline Checker

Google mixes up to 15 headlines in an RSA. Each one has to make sense alone at 30 characters. A 41-character H1 from the landing page is not an ad headline.

Spaces count. So does punctuation. Word’s “characters without spaces” is the wrong meter. Google’s box is the meter.

Three headlines is the minimum to serve. Eight to fifteen unique lines is the job. Duplicates (even with a capital) waste a slot the algorithm could have used.

Google RSA headline is 30 characters RSA HEADLINE - 30 CHARACTERS, INCLUDING SPACES Book a product demo············· 19/30 Responsive search ads headline checker 38/30 - over Up to 15 headlines. Google needs 3 to serve. Pin only after the line fits. A landing H1 is not an RSA headline. Cut it here, not in the auction.
Green fits. Red never shows as written. Count spaces. Do not pin the red line.

When

When to use it

  • Before upload, or before you pin position 1, 2 or 3.
  • When a “strong” line never serves - often it was over 30 and Google skipped it.
  • After the brief: offer, proof and CTA each need their own 30-character line, not one paragraph split badly.

How

How to use it

  1. 1Paste one headline per line. Up to 15. Empty lines are ignored.
  2. 2Read the count. Green fits. Yellow is tight (28–30) - fine if the claim needs the slot. Red is over: it will not show as written.
  3. 3Under 10 characters is usually too thin to pin in position 1. Keep it as a rotator, or add the offer.
  4. 4If two lines match after trim and lowercase, kill one. Then copy only the passing lines into Google Ads.

Example

Example: RSA headlines for the Acme demo

Same campaign as the UTM: google-in-demo-exact-2026q3. Landing promise is a 30-minute product demo. Headlines must stand alone in Search.

You put in

Line 1
Book a product demo (19)
Line 2
UTMs that roll up (18)
Line 3
One name in ads and GA4 (24)
Over
Responsive search ads headline checker (38 - fail)

You get

PASS (≤30)
Book a product demo
UTMs that roll up
One name in ads and GA4

FAIL
Responsive search ads headline checker  [38/30]

The 38-character line is a tool name, not an ad. Cut it to “RSA headlines that fit 30” (27) or drop it. Pin “Book a product demo” only after it fits - it already does.

Result

What this changes for you

Passing lines go in. Over-limit lines get cut on purpose, by you. Monday is not “why did headline 4 never show.”

Common mistakes

  • Pasting the page H1. Landing titles are written for 50–60 characters. RSA is 30.
  • Counting without spaces. “Book a demo” is 11, not 9.
  • Pinning an over-limit line. The pin does not stretch the box.
  • Fifteen near-duplicates (“Book a demo”, “Book demo”, “Book Demo now”). The mix has nothing to test.

FAQ

Google Ads Headline Checker FAQ

What is the Google Ads headline character limit?

30 characters per Responsive Search Ad headline, including spaces. You can add up to 15 headlines. Google needs at least 3 to serve the ad.

Do spaces count in Google Ads headlines?

Yes. Every space is a character. This checker counts them. If you strip spaces to “fit,” the live ad will not match what you counted.

What happens if a Google Ads headline is over 30 characters?

Google will not show that line as you wrote it. It may truncate or skip the combination. Do not pin it. Shorten it or delete it.

Should I write all Google Ads headlines to exactly 30?

No. Fit the claim. 22–30 is the useful band. A 12-character brand name can rotate. Do not pad with “!!!” to hit 30.

Is a Google Ads headline checker the same as a SERP title checker?

No. Organic titles are a pixel-width problem around 50–60 characters. RSA headlines are a hard 30. Use the SEO title tool for organic.

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