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Free Search Console tool

Striking Distance Keywords Tool

The Striking Distance Keywords Tool reads a Google Search Console export and surfaces the queries you already rank for in positions 11 to 30. It scores each one by opportunity, groups them by landing page, flags cannibalisation and forecasts the clicks you could gain by reaching page one.

  • 100% free
  • No sign-up
  • Runs in your browser
How to get your export data (3 Methods)
Recommended

Google Sheets Add-on

  1. Install the free Search Analytics for Sheets extension.
  2. Open a blank Google Sheet and launch the extension.
  3. Select your website and desired date range.
  4. Under "Group By", select: Query and Page.
  5. Click "Request Data", download as CSV, and upload here.
Advanced

Looker Studio Dashboard

  1. Create a blank report in Looker Studio.
  2. Add Data -> Google Search Console -> URL Impression -> Web.
  3. Insert a Table chart.
  4. Dimensions: Query and Landing Page.
  5. Metrics: Impressions, Url Clicks, and Average Position.
  6. Click three dots -> Export -> CSV.
Quickest

Standard GSC Export

  1. Log into standard Google Search Console.
  2. Go to Performance and set your date range.
  3. Click "Export" -> Download CSV.
  4. Upload ONLY the Queries.csv file here.
to

Branded queries usually convert on visibility alone rather than content quality, which skews striking-distance forecasts — filter them out to see net-new organic opportunity.

Est. Total New Clicks
+0

Assuming Pos 3 target (10% CTR)

Showing 0 keywords
Keyword Landing Page Pos Imp. Clicks Opp. Score Est. Monthly Gains Total Gains
Upload a GSC export to begin.

How it works

How to use the Striking Distance Keywords Tool

  1. Export from Search Console

    Use the Search Analytics for Sheets add-on, a Looker Studio table or the standard Performance export. The instructions panel covers all three.

  2. Upload the CSV

    The tool detects which export you have. For the standard Queries file, add your domain so each keyword gets a site: search link.

  3. Filter the list

    Narrow by position range, minimum impressions, landing page or keyword, and exclude brand terms.

  4. Prioritise by page

    Switch to Page View to see which URLs hold the most opportunity, then work through them as content briefs.

  5. Export your plan

    Download the prioritised list as a CSV to share or track.

Why striking distance keywords are the quickest SEO wins

A keyword sitting at position 14 is close to valuable but earns almost nothing. Click-through rates fall away sharply after the first page, so the jump from page two to the lower half of page one can multiply the traffic a query sends.

Because Google already sees the page as relevant, closing that gap rarely needs new content or months of link building. Better on-page targeting, fresher information and a few internal links are often enough. That makes striking distance analysis one of the highest-return jobs in SEO, and one of the best places to start with any site.

How to move a keyword onto page one

  1. Check intent. Search the keyword and look at what ranks. If the top results are guides and your page is a product listing, the fix is a different page, not more keywords.
  2. Strengthen on-page targeting. Use the query, or a close variant, in the title tag, H1 and an early subheading where it reads naturally.
  3. Close content gaps. Answer the questions and subtopics competing pages cover that yours does not.
  4. Add internal links from relevant, well-linked pages using descriptive anchor text. The Internal Linking Tool speeds this up.
  5. Update and republish, then track the position weekly in Search Console.

Using Page View as a content brief

Most pages rank for dozens of related queries at once. Rolling striking distance keywords up by URL shows which page has the most combined opportunity and gives you a ready-made list of terms and questions for its rewrite. Working page by page, rather than keyword by keyword, also avoids over-optimising for one phrase at the expense of the rest.

Pair this with the Content Decay Checker: one finds pages that are rising towards page one, the other finds pages slipping away from it.

Questions

Striking Distance Keywords Tool FAQs

What are striking distance keywords?

They are queries your site already ranks for just outside page one, usually positions 11 to 30. The page has some relevance and authority already, so improving it is normally faster than ranking a new page from scratch.

How is the Opportunity Score calculated?

It multiplies how close a keyword is to page one by its impressions: (31 − average position) × impressions. Keywords that are both near the top and frequently searched rise to the top of the list.

Is my Search Console data uploaded?

No. The file is parsed in your browser and never sent to a server. It is saved in your browser’s local storage so your data and filters are still there when you return, and you can clear it at any time.

Why does it ask for my domain?

The standard Queries export has no landing page column. Adding your domain lets the tool build a site: search for each keyword so you can see which page is ranking.

What does the cannibalisation warning mean?

It appears when the same query is split across more than one of your URLs. Two pages competing can hold both of them back, so consider consolidating or clarifying which page should rank.

Is the traffic forecast accurate?

It is an estimate based on the target position and CTR curve you set. Use it to rank opportunities against each other rather than as a promise of exact clicks.

Keep going

Related free tools

All Search Console tools
  • Search Console

    Content Decay Checker

    Spot pages and queries losing clicks period on period, triaged by severity, with an exportable refresh plan.

  • Search Console

    Organic CTR Benchmark Tool

    Build your own CTR-by-position curve from Search Console and find the queries whose titles and metas underperform.

  • Content

    Internal Linking Tool

    Automatically add internal links to an article from a keyword-to-URL list, with rules that prevent over-linking.

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