Business Description Analyzer

How this analyzer works

The analyzer measures your description the way readability tools like Hemingway do, then adds the keyword and local checks a general-purpose editor doesn't cover.

The readability grade uses the Automated Readability Index (ARI), a formula that estimates the U.S. school grade needed to understand a text from just two things: how long your words are and how long your sentences are.

ARI = 4.71 × (letters ÷ words) + 0.5 × (words ÷ sentences) − 21.43

A grade of 9 or lower means most adults can read your description effortlessly. That matters because visitors skim directory listings, and a description that takes effort to parse simply doesn't get read.

Sentence highlighting

Each sentence is also scored on its own, and the difficult ones get highlighted right in the editor, Hemingway-style. A sentence of 14 words or more turns yellow when its own readability grade reaches 10 (hard to read) and red at grade 14 or above (very hard to read). Sentences under 14 words are never flagged, even when they use long words — short sentences stay easy to parse. The fix for a highlighted sentence is almost always the same: split it in two, or swap a few long words for shorter ones.

Scoring bands for a directory listing

Metric	Good	OK	Poor
Readability grade	9 or lower	10	11 or higher
Words	60–100	40–59 or 101–130	under 40 / over 130
Characters	400–600	300–399 or 601–700	under 300 / over 700
Sentences	4–7	3 or 8	under 3 / over 8
Paragraphs	1	2	3 or more

What makes a good business description

After reviewing thousands of listings, we've found the descriptions that perform best share a handful of traits, and this tool checks all of them automatically:

• Open with your business name. "Smith Injury Law handles personal injury cases in Draper, Utah" beats a generic opener every time.
• Put your keyword and city in the first sentence. Search engines and skimming readers both weight the opening heavily.
• Use the keyword once or twice, then stop. Three mentions is pushing it; four or more in a short description reads as keyword stuffing to both people and algorithms.
• Keep it to one tight paragraph of 4–7 sentences. Say what you do, who you serve, where you are, and what makes you different, then end.
• Write at an 8th–9th grade level. Shorter words and sentences aren't dumbed down; they're easier to skim, and skimming is how listings get read.

Directory listing vs. Google Business Profile vs. meta description

The same business needs different descriptions in different places, which is why this tool has three presets:

• Directory listing: 60–100 words is the sweet spot, long enough to include your services and location naturally, short enough to be read in about twenty seconds.
• Google Business Profile: Google allows up to 750 characters, but only roughly the first 250 show before the "more" link. Use most of the allowance, and front-load the part that shows.
• Meta description: Google typically truncates around 155–160 characters. Aim for 120–158, treat it as ad copy for the click, and put the keyword in early since Google bolds matching terms.

Switch presets in the tool above and the scoring bands adjust instantly; your text stays put.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a business description be?

For a directory listing, aim for 60–100 words (roughly 400–600 characters) in a single paragraph. That is long enough to cover your services, location, and differentiator, and short enough that people actually read it. Google Business Profile allows up to 750 characters, and meta descriptions should stay under about 158 characters.

What readability grade should I aim for?

Grade 9 or lower on the Automated Readability Index. Most adults skim online text, and copy at an 8th–9th grade level is consistently read and understood more than denser writing, regardless of how sophisticated your audience is.

What do the yellow and red highlights mean?

They mark hard-to-read sentences, the same way the Hemingway editor does. A yellow highlight means the sentence on its own would need a 10th-grade reading level or higher; red means grade 14 or higher. Only sentences with 14 or more words are flagged. Splitting a highlighted sentence in two is usually the quickest fix.

What is keyword stuffing?

Repeating your target keyword so often that the text reads unnaturally, for example using "Draper injury lawyer" four times in an 80-word description. Search engines treat it as a spam signal, and readers find it off-putting. Once or twice, placed early, is all a short description needs.

Does Google truncate Business Profile descriptions?

Google accepts up to 750 characters, but only about the first 250 characters are visible before the "more" link in most placements. Nothing is cut from your profile, but anything past that point is only seen by people who click to expand, so lead with what matters.

Is my text stored anywhere when I use this tool?

No. All analysis runs in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing you type is sent to our servers, stored, or logged.

Should my description mention my city?

Yes. Naming your city or service area in the description reinforces local relevance for search engines and immediately tells readers you serve them. Ideally it appears in the first sentence alongside your main keyword.

More free tools are on the way. See the SEO tools hub for what's coming next. And if your business isn't listed yet, add your business to OnToplist and put your freshly polished description to work.