Striking-Distance Keywords: Quick Wins in Search Console

A Backlinko analysis (2019) of about 4 million Google results found the number one organic result averages a 27.6 per cent click through rate and is ten times more likely to get a click than position ten.

Striking-distance keywords are queries where Google already shows your page somewhere around positions 8 to 20, so a focused on-page improvement can move them onto the first page without new content or new links. In this guide you will learn how to pull those queries out of Search Console, match each one to the right page, decide what to change, and measure whether it worked. I also cover the cases where chasing them is a waste of your time.

What “striking distance” really means

The phrase comes from the idea that you are close enough to hit the target. A page that sits at position 14 for a query has already convinced Google it is relevant. It just is not the most relevant or most useful result yet. Compare that with a query where you rank nowhere at all: there, you need to create something new, and you are starting from zero.

That is why this is one of the first things I check on any site. The work is small and specific: improve a heading, add a missing section, tighten a title, add a few internal links. You are not guessing what Google might like, because the search data already tells you which queries the page is being tested for.

Two cautions before we start. First, average position in Search Console is an average across every time your page appeared, on every device and location, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a fixed rank. Second, a move from position 15 to position 9 may bring few extra clicks if the results page is crowded with ads, maps or AI answers. Quick wins are real, but they are not guaranteed wins.

Pulling the list out of Search Console

You can do this directly in the Performance report for web search. The exact layout of Google Search Console changes from time to time, so instead of a click-by-click path, here is what you need to set up:

1. Choose a date range. The last three months is a sensible default. It smooths out daily swings but is recent enough to reflect your current pages.
2. Show all four metrics. Turn on clicks, impressions, CTR and average position so you can see them together in the table.
3. Look at the Queries view. This lists the search terms your site appeared for.
4. Filter by position. Use the table filter to keep only rows where average position is greater than about 7.5 and less than about 20.5. That roughly captures positions 8 to 20.
5. Filter by impressions. Set a minimum that makes sense for your site. On a small local site even a modest number of impressions may be worth acting on; on a large site you will want a higher floor so you only see queries with real demand.
6. Export. Download the filtered list to a spreadsheet. You will be adding columns, and that is far easier outside the interface.

If your site has a lot of data, the interface will cap how many rows you can export. In that case, run the same filters by section of the site (using a page filter for a folder like /services/ or /blog/) and export each section separately. Google’s own help pages at support.google.com/webmasters explain what each metric means if you want the official definitions.

Matching each query to the page that should win it

A list of queries is not useful until you know which page each one belongs to. For every query you plan to act on, click into it in Search Console and switch to the Pages view to see which URL is getting the impressions.

You will run into one of three situations:

• One page, and it is the right page. This is the ideal case. Improve that page.
• One page, but it is the wrong page. For example, a blog post is ranking for a commercial query that your service page should own. Here you usually want to strengthen the service page and link to it from the blog post with relevant anchor text, rather than turning the post into a sales page.
• Several pages sharing impressions. This can be a sign that two pages are competing for the same intent. Decide which one should be the target, then differentiate or consolidate.

This step is far easier if you already have a keyword map that assigns each topic to one URL. If you do not, your striking-distance list is a good place to start building one.

Add two columns to your spreadsheet: “target URL” and “situation” (right page, wrong page, shared). Then group queries by target URL. You will often find that one page has five or six related striking-distance queries. That page is your priority, because one round of edits can lift several queries at once.

Deciding what to change on the page

Open the target page next to the query list and ask a blunt question for each query: does this page actually answer what someone typing this wants? Then look at the top few results for the query to see what they cover that you do not.

Use this table to decide on the change:

What you notice	Likely fix
Query is a close variant of your main topic but the wording never appears on the page	Use the phrase naturally in a heading or paragraph where it fits. Do not force it into every section.
Query asks a question your page only hints at	Add a short section with an H2 or H3 that answers it directly in the first sentence or two.
Query has high impressions and very low CTR	Rewrite the title tag and meta description so they match the query intent more closely. My guide to optimising title tags covers this.
Top results include a comparison table, steps or pricing guidance you lack	Add the missing format. Searchers clearly expect it.
Page has few or no internal links pointing to it	Add contextual links from related pages using descriptive anchor text.
Query intent is different from the page’s purpose (for example “free template” on a paid service page)	Leave it. Either ignore the query or create a separate page if it is worth serving.

Internal links are easy to overlook here. A page that ranks on page two often just needs a clearer signal that it is important. Find two or three relevant pages on your site that mention the topic and link from them.

For service pages specifically, the striking-distance list often reveals missing sections like pricing, areas covered or common objections. The worked example of a service page rework shows how those sections fit together. For informational posts, missing answer-first paragraphs are a common gap, which is the same structure that helps with AI Overviews and answer engines.

A worked example with one page

This is an illustrative example. Imagine a Karachi accountancy firm with a page about company registration. Its striking-distance list shows these queries pointing at that page, all sitting between positions 9 and 17:

• company registration documents required
• how long does company registration take
• private limited company registration cost
• sole proprietor vs private limited

Reviewing the page shows that it describes the service well but never lists the documents, never explains the steps or typical stages, and does not mention cost factors at all. The comparison query suggests people are still deciding which structure to choose.

The changes are modest:

1. Add an H2 “Documents you will need” with a clear list.
2. Add an H2 “How the registration process works” with numbered stages and an honest note that timing depends on the registry and on how quickly documents are provided.
3. Add an H2 “What affects the cost” explaining the factors without inventing figures.
4. Add a short comparison table of sole proprietorship and private limited company, then link to a fuller guide if one exists.
5. Rewrite the title so it reflects that the page covers documents, process and cost as well as the service.
6. Link to the page from two related blog posts.

None of this changes what the page is about. It just makes the page a more complete answer to the queries Google is already testing it for.

Measuring the change properly

Write down the date you made the edits. Then, after Google has had time to recrawl the page and you have a few weeks of fresh data, compare a period after the change with an equal period before it.

• Compare like for like. Use equal-length periods and, if your business is seasonal, consider comparing with the same period last year as well.
• Filter by page, not just query. Look at the target URL’s total clicks and impressions, then check the specific queries you targeted.
• Watch for new queries. A successful update often makes the page appear for related queries it never showed for before.
• Keep a change log. A simple spreadsheet with date, URL, what changed and why will save you guessing later.

Change one page at a time where you can, or at least avoid making several big edits to the same page in quick succession. Otherwise you will not know which change helped. Be patient. Some pages respond quickly; others take longer, and some do not move at all.

When striking-distance work is not worth it

Not every query in that position range deserves your time. Skip or deprioritise when:

• The intent does not fit your business. Ranking higher for a query you cannot serve brings visitors who leave.
• Impressions are tiny. Moving a query with almost no demand to page one changes very little.
• The results page is dominated by features that leave little room for organic clicks, and the query is not commercially important to you.
• The real problem is elsewhere. If the page is slow, thin across the board, or gives readers no reason to trust it, fix that first. Small tweaks will not overcome a weak page, and missing trust signals such as bylines and sources are a common culprit.
• A stronger page should be the target. Pushing the wrong page up can create competition between your own URLs.

Striking-distance work is a tactic within broader on-page work, not a replacement for it. If you want the full picture, start with the on-page SEO checklist and use this method to prioritise.

Questions people ask about striking-distance keywords

Why use positions 8 to 20 rather than 11 to 20?

Positions 8 to 10 are technically on page one, but often below the fold and below other result features. Including them catches queries that are visible but rarely clicked, where a small improvement can move you into the positions people actually see.

Should I add the exact query to my title tag?

Only if it reads naturally and reflects what the page is about. A title should describe the page for a person. Cramming several queries into one title usually makes it worse and Google may rewrite it anyway.

How often should I repeat this process?

Every month or quarter is a sensible rhythm for most sites. Your rankings and the queries you appear for shift over time, so the list will change. Keep your change log so you do not rework the same page before the last change has had time to show results.

What if the query ranks on a page I did not expect?

Decide which page should own that intent. Often the better move is to strengthen the intended page and add a clear internal link to it from the unexpected one, rather than rewriting a page to serve a purpose it was never designed for.

Finding and acting on these near-miss queries is one of the first things I do in my on-page optimisation work, because it uses data your site already has. If you would like a second pair of eyes on your own list, get in touch for a free audit and I will point out where I would start.