Striking Distance Keywords
Queries where a site already shows just below the top results, usually positions 4–20. An SEO label, not a Google metric.
Reviewed by Alexander Yarovenko · Updated: 2026-10-04
Striking-distance keywords are queries for which a site already shows in Google, but below the top results, usually somewhere in positions 4–20, so that an improvement might be worth the effort. The label comes from SEO practice, not from Google: there is no official range and no Search Console report with this name.
What it is and where the boundary lies
“Striking distance” is a way to pick candidates, not a measurement. You choose a position band and a minimum number of impressions in the Performance report, then review the list. Google defines position as the topmost place where a link to your property appears, averaged, and warns that the position a person sees can differ because of history, location and device. So a query at position 8 is a lead to inspect, not a promise that page one is near.
How it differs from similar terms
| Term | What it means | Who defines it |
|---|---|---|
| Striking-distance keyword | a query ranking just outside the top results | SEO practice |
| Low-hanging fruit | a near synonym for the same workflow | SEO practice |
| Average position | the topmost position, averaged | Google, in the metrics definitions |
| Content decay | a page losing clicks over time | SEO practice |
Why it matters
These queries already earn impressions, so the page is relevant enough to be shown. Work on them starts from an existing signal instead of from nothing, which makes them a sensible first place to look for improvement. Google does not publish how much a position change will add, so the value is a hypothesis to test.
What Google documents and what it does not
- Documented: how position, impressions, clicks and CTR are defined; that actual position can differ from the reported average.
- Not documented: a “striking distance” range, a click gain from moving up a position, or a CTR table by position. Treat such tables as industry estimates.
How to find them in Search Console
- Open the Performance report for a period long enough to be stable and add the average position metric.
- Switch to the Queries tab, or pair queries with pages, and sort by impressions.
- Pick a position band, for example 4–20, and a minimum number of impressions suited to your site.
- Remove branded queries if you want opportunities beyond your own name.
- Check the page for each query: does it answer the query better than the result above it?
- Compare two equal periods before deciding that a position moved.
Practical example
| Query | Position | Impressions | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| brand name | 1.2 | 4 000 | exclude: branded |
| how to fix soft 404 | 6.8 | 1 200 | candidate: improve the answer and the title |
| crawl budget meaning | 14.5 | 900 | candidate: add internal links, check the match |
| seo audit tool | 32 | 2 500 | outside the band: a larger effort |
| old product name | 9.0 | 40 | skip: too few impressions |
Five queries, two real candidates. The band and the impression floor decide what is worth the time.
Common mistakes
- Treating the range as a Google rule: 4–20 is a convention you can change.
- Reading average position as a fixed rank: it is an average of topmost positions and varies by viewer.
- Chasing queries with tiny impressions: the gain is too small to measure.
- Changing the page before checking intent: the page may not be the best answer.
- Judging a change after a few days: compare equal periods.
How to validate the result
Record clicks, impressions, CTR and position for the page and query before the change, then compare the same length of time after, with the same filters. A better position without more clicks means the title or snippet may be the issue; more clicks without a position change means the demand shifted. Do not infer the cause from one metric.
More questions
Which positions count as striking distance?
There is no official answer. Many teams use 4–20; narrow it for big sites or widen it for small ones.
Is this a Search Console report?
No. You build the list from the Performance report with filters.
Will moving up a position bring a fixed number of clicks?
Google does not say. Measure the effect on your own pages.
Next practical step
Export one list with a position band and an impression floor and mark each query “improve”, “merge” or “skip”. The playbook on striking-distance keywords shows how to estimate the click gap for one pair.
Related concepts
- Google Search Console — where the data comes from.
- CTR — clicks divided by impressions.
- Title tag — often the first thing to test for a near-miss query.
- Content decay — the related workflow for falling pages.