The Search Console Trick That Finds Your Best Opportunities
- → Filter for queries with high impressions, low CTR
- → These are keywords you're visible for but not winning clicks
- → Improve titles and meta descriptions for these pages
- → Quick wins with data you already have
Most people use Search Console wrong. They look at their top queries, feel good about what's working, and ignore the goldmine sitting right in front of them.
The real opportunity isn't what's already ranking #1. It's what's ranking #8.
The Striking Distance Filter
Here's the exact process:
Step 1: Go to Search Console > Performance > Search results
Step 2: Click the filter row, add a filter for Position
Step 3: Set it to "Greater than 3" and "Smaller than 21"
Step 4: Sort by Impressions (descending)
What you're looking at now is pure leverage: queries where you're already ranking (Google thinks you're relevant) but not ranking high enough to get real clicks.
Why This Works
Getting from position 50 to position 10 is hard. You're competing against established pages that Google already trusts.
Getting from position 8 to position 3 is much easier. You've already proven relevance. Google is already showing you for this query. You just need to be slightly better than what's above you.
The click-through rate difference is massive:
- Position 1: ~30% CTR
- Position 3: ~10% CTR
- Position 8: ~2% CTR
Moving from position 8 to position 3 can 5x your traffic from that query. And these are queries you're already ranking for.
What To Do With The List
For each high-impression striking distance query:
1. Check the current page. Click the query, then click "Pages" to see which URL is ranking. Is it the right page? Sometimes the wrong page ranks.
2. Analyze the gap. Search the query incognito. What do the top 3 results have that you don't? More depth? Better formatting? Fresher information? Original data?
3. Close the gap. Don't rewrite everything. Make targeted improvements that address what's missing. For pages with declining traffic, apply the content refresh formula.
4. Wait and measure. Give it 2-4 weeks. Check if position improved. If yes, move to the next opportunity.
The Priority Formula
Not all striking distance queries are equal. Prioritize by:
Impressions × (20 - Position) = Opportunity Score
A query with 10,000 impressions at position 15 has more potential than a query with 10,000 impressions at position 5. There's more room to improve.
Work through your list in priority order. The first few optimizations will often drive more traffic than months of creating new content.
Stop chasing new keywords. Start improving what's already close to working. The opportunity cost of ignoring these is massive.