Why do striking distance keywords matter?
They are the fastest ranking wins most sites have. The page already exists, Google already trusts it for the query, and it only needs a push rather than a rewrite.
The payoff from that push is large because clicks are concentrated at the top. In Backlinko’s study of four million Google results, the first organic result earned an average click-through rate of 27.6%, while only 0.63% of searchers clicked anything on page two.
How do you find striking distance keywords?
Google Search Console has everything you need, and it is free.
- 1Open the Performance report and choose Search results.
- 2Turn on the Impressions and Average position metrics.
- 3Filter the Queries table to an average position greater than 10 and less than 21.
- 4Sort by impressions, highest first. Queries with plenty of impressions but few clicks are the best candidates.
- 5Check which page ranks for each query, and skip any where that page is the wrong match for what the searcher wants.
What does a striking distance keyword look like?
Here is a typical example from a SaaS blog, before and after one focused update.
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Query | best crm for startups | best crm for startups |
| Average position | 11.4 | 4.2 |
| Impressions a month | 2,400 | 2,650 |
| Clicks a month | 9 | 212 |
How do you move a page from page two to page one?
Improve the page for that exact query rather than for SEO in general. The usual changes are:
- Answer the query directly in the first paragraph, in the words people search with.
- Cover the subtopics the current top results cover and your page misses.
- Put the query, or a close variation, in the title tag and first heading.
- Add internal links to the page from related pages, with descriptive anchor text.
- Replace out-of-date facts, dates and screenshots.
- Add FAQ or other schema markup where it fits the content.
Frequently asked questions
What position counts as striking distance?
Most people use positions 11 to 20, which is page two of Google. Some teams also include positions 4 to 10, because moving from the bottom of page one to the top three brings a similar jump in clicks.
How long does it take to see results?
Usually a few days to a few weeks. Google has to recrawl the page and reassess it before rankings change. Requesting indexing in Search Console after an update can speed up the recrawl.
Is striking distance the same as low-hanging fruit?
No. Striking distance keywords are searches you already rank for, just not high enough. Low-hanging fruit are easy searches you may not rank for at all yet.
Why use average position rather than a single ranking?
Search Console averages your position across every time the page appeared, on every device and location. A page averaging 11 might show at 8 for some people and 15 for others, which is why the range is a guide, not a rule.