Why striking distance keywords are the fastest SEO wins
A query in positions 11–20 is one where Google already thinks your page is relevant. Moving from page two to the bottom of page one usually takes an edit, not a new article, and page one attracts far more clicks: the second page gets only a sliver of them. That makes striking distance keywords the cheapest ranking improvement most sites have, and they are almost always hiding in Search Console.
The finder takes every query in your range with at least the impressions you set (100 by default) and estimates the opportunity as impressions multiplied by the difference between the click-through rate expected at position 5 and the one you have now. That puts a high-impression query at position 12 above a small one at position 11, which is the order in which the work pays off.
What to do with a striking distance keyword
- Find the page that ranks (a Query + Page export shows it) and check it answers the query directly and completely.
- Put the query, or a close variant, in a heading and near the top of the page.
- Add internal links to the page from relevant pages, using the query as anchor text.
- Improve the title and meta description so the result earns the click once you move up.
- Add what page-one competitors have that you lack: depth, examples, data, media.
How to get your Search Console export
Open the Performance report for your property, pick the date range you want, then use Export at the top right and choose Download CSV. Search Console gives you a ZIP that holds one CSV per table — Queries, Pages, Countries, Devices and so on — and you can drop the ZIP straight onto the tool; it finds the tables it needs and ignores the rest.
Exports follow the language of your Search Console interface. The tool recognises the column names in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Polish exports, and tells you if it cannot find the columns it needs.
Reading the numbers with care
Average position in Search Console blends every impression in the period, so a query averaging 14 may really be 8 for some searchers and 30 for others. The opportunity figure uses a generic click-through curve and is best used to order the list, not to forecast traffic.
How to use it
- Export the Queries table (or a Query + Page table, which also shows the ranking page) from the Performance report.
- Drop the CSV or ZIP onto the box, or try the sample data.
- Adjust the impression threshold and position range if you want a wider or narrower list.
- Work down the list from the largest estimated opportunity and export it as CSV.
Frequently asked questions
What are striking distance keywords?
Queries for which your site ranks just outside the top ten — typically positions 11 to 20 — so a modest improvement can move them onto page one.
How do I find keywords ranking on page 2?
In Search Console’s Performance report, sort queries by impressions and filter for positions above 10. This tool does that for you, adds an estimate of the extra clicks at position 5, and sorts by it.
Why position 5 as the target?
It is a realistic goal for a page that is optimised and internally linked, and a click-through rate near the middle of page one. You can widen or narrow the range of positions to suit your site.
Do I need a Query + Page export?
No. A plain Queries export works. A Query + Page export additionally shows which of your pages ranks for each query, which saves a lookup.
Is my Search Console data uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and analysed entirely in your browser and is never sent to a server. There is no login, and the only thing the site records is an anonymous count that a file was analysed.
Opportunity figures are estimates from a generic click-through curve, intended for ordering work rather than forecasting traffic.