What is a striking distance keyword?

It is an informal SEO term for a query where your page ranks just below the top results, usually somewhere on the second page. The idea is that a focused improvement can lift it onto page one, where far more people click.

Which date range should I use?

Use the last three months for a first list. It is long enough to smooth out daily swings and short enough to reflect your current pages. Compare it with the previous three months to see whether a query is rising or sliding.

Should I write a new post for an almost-ranking query?

Usually not. If a page already ranks at position 12, Google has matched it to the query. Improving that page keeps all of its existing signals, while a second page on the same topic can end up competing with the first.

How long before I see a change?

Google has to recrawl the page first, which can take days for a small site. Give it three to four weeks before you judge, and check the same query with the same filters you used at the start.

Find Keywords You Almost Rank For in Search Console

Short answer

Open the Performance report in Search Console, turn on Average position, look at queries with an average position between about 8 and 20 and steady impressions, then improve the page that already ranks for each one.

Key takeaways

Queries with an average position between roughly 8 and 20 already have Google's attention, so a better page can move them faster than a brand new page.
Sort by impressions first. A query at position 11 with 400 impressions a month is worth more than one at position 9 with 12.
Check which page ranks before you edit anything, and improve that page rather than writing a second one.
Log the starting position and the date of your change so you can judge the result after three or four weeks.

Most small sites have a handful of searches where they sit just off the first page. People search for these terms, Google already shows your page for them, and the page lands at position 11 or 14 where few people scroll. These are the cheapest wins in search, and Search Console lists them for free. Here is how to find them and decide which ones deserve your time.

What does "almost ranking" mean in Search Console?

An almost-ranking query is one where your page's average position sits a little below the top results, roughly between 8 and 20.

Search Console reports average position as the topmost position your site reached for a query, averaged over every time it appeared. A value of 12.3 means your best result usually showed near the top of the second page, or low on the first page for some searchers. Our guide to average position vs rank explains why this number never matches a single search exactly.

The range is a rule of thumb; Google does not define it anywhere. A query at 6 or 7 can still gain from work, and one at 25 may need a different page altogether. Start with 8 to 20 and adjust once you see your own data.

How do you find these queries in the Performance report?

Open Performance, choose Search results, turn on the Average position metric and filter or sort the Queries table by position.

In Search Console, open Performance and then Search results.
Set the date range to the last 3 months.
Click the Average position box above the chart so the column appears in the table.
Stay on the Queries tab. Use the filter icon above the table to keep rows where Position is greater than 7.9, then scan up to about 20.
Sort by Impressions, highest first.

If your list is long, export it with the Export button and filter in a spreadsheet instead. That also gives you a dated snapshot to compare against later.

Which almost-ranking queries are worth working on?

Pick queries with meaningful impressions, a clear match to what your site offers and a page that already fits the intent.

Not every row deserves effort. A quick way to sort them:

Signal	Worth a push	Probably skip
Impressions	Steady every week	A few, all on one day
Intent	Matches what the page offers	Someone looking for a product you don't sell
Ranking page	One page ranks consistently	Different pages swap places
Trend	Flat or rising over 3 months	Sliding month after month

Searches that bring a few impressions in a single burst are often noise. A query that shows up every week with a few hundred impressions is a real audience.

Which page is ranking for the query?

Click the query in the table, then open the Pages tab to see which URL Google shows for it.

This step prevents a common mistake: improving the page you think should rank while Google is showing a different one. If two of your pages appear for the same query, decide which one should own it. Strengthen that page and link to it from the other with a clear anchor.

Also search the query yourself in a private window. You will see what the first page currently rewards, whether that is short definitions, step-by-step guides, product pages or videos. Remember that your own search is one snapshot, as our guide to ranking differences explains.

What should you change on the page?

Answer the query more directly and more completely than the page does now, without stuffing the phrase into it.

Changes that tend to help a page close the gap:

Put a short, plain answer to the query near the top of the page.
Add the subtopics you saw covered on the first page and missing from yours, in your own words.
Use the query's wording, or a natural version of it, in a heading if it fits.
Update stale facts, dates, screenshots and examples.
Link to the page from two or three related pages on your own site.
Check that the title tag and description describe what the page delivers for that search.

Make the edits in one session so you know what changed and when. Avoid rewriting the same page every week; you will not be able to tell which change did anything.

How do you track whether it worked?

Record the query, the page, the starting average position and the date of the change, then compare the same query four weeks later.

The free rank log on our home page keeps a dated position for each keyword and a note field for what you changed. Enter the Search Console average position for each query you worked on, once a week, from the same filters. After a month you will see whether the line moved, and the notes will tell you why.

If you track a dozen of these at once, fold them into your weekly rank report. Pages move at different speeds, and a few will not move at all. Those are useful too: they tell you where a new page or a different angle might work better than another round of edits.

Questions

What is a striking distance keyword?: It is an informal SEO term for a query where your page ranks just below the top results, usually somewhere on the second page. The idea is that a focused improvement can lift it onto page one, where far more people click.
Which date range should I use?: Use the last three months for a first list. It is long enough to smooth out daily swings and short enough to reflect your current pages. Compare it with the previous three months to see whether a query is rising or sliding.
Should I write a new post for an almost-ranking query?: Usually not. If a page already ranks at position 12, Google has matched it to the query. Improving that page keeps all of its existing signals, while a second page on the same topic can end up competing with the first.
How long before I see a change?: Google has to recrawl the page first, which can take days for a small site. Give it three to four weeks before you judge, and check the same query with the same filters you used at the start.

How to Find Keywords You Almost Rank For in Search Console