Striking distance keywords: the searches one page from the light

Striking distance keywords are queries where your page sits at positions 11 to 20 and already gets impressions. You are one push from page one.

For a small site this is the fastest SEO win. You skip the long wait for a new page to gain trust. You compound what you have: crawl history, links, and partial topical fit.

1. 1

   Open Performance, set dates

   Go to Search results. Set the date to compare the last 28 days with the 28 before. You can go back up to 16 months if you need seasonality.

2. 2

   Switch to Queries first

   Keep it on Queries. Turn on Clicks, Impressions, CTR, and Position. Remember, the query table omits rare and anonymised queries, so the totals will not match the site total.

3. 3

   Filter to positions 11 to 20

   Add a Position filter, set is greater than or equal to 11 and is less than or equal to 20. You now see your striking distance set.

4. 4

   Add an Impressions floor

   Sort by Impressions. Start with queries with meaningful impressions. They already load your URLs in results and are worth the lift.

5. 5

   Note the page that ranks

   Click a query, then switch to Pages. You will see the URL that ranks highest for that query. That is the page to fix.

• Impressions exist in the last 28 days. No impressions, no quick win.
• Search intent matches what your page should do. Do not force a features page to rank for a “what is” query.
• Your page is the right host topic. If the query fits a different page on your site, fix that page instead.
• The SERP shape fits your format. If top results are guides and your page is a thin changelog, it needs real content.

Worked example: yourproduct.com/pricing ranks in the mid teens for “startup pricing analytics” with impressions in 28 days. Intent is commercial research. The right host is /pricing, not a blog post. This is a go.

Do not write a new page. Refocus the page that already ranks. Put the query at the heart of the page in three places.

• Title tag: use the query near the start, under about 60 characters. Example before: “Pricing | YourProduct”. After: “Startup pricing analytics for SaaS pricing teams”.
• H1: match or closely echo the title. Before: “Pricing”. After: “Startup pricing analytics pricing and plans”.
• First paragraph: state the topic in plain words and promise the payoff. Before: “Choose a plan”. After: “See how startup pricing analytics helps you test plans, forecast revenue, and pick a plan that fits”.

Leave the URL as is. The page has history and links. Changing the slug risks redirection issues and delay when your goal is a small position lift.

Page two rankings often mean your page covers the topic but lacks one key part. Add that section within the same URL. Use headings users scan for.

1. 1

   Scan the current top results

   Open a few top results for the query. Note the common sections. Do they compare tools, define terms, show pricing, or give an example?

2. 2

   Map your gap to one section

   Pick one missing section that users expect. Example for /pricing on “startup pricing analytics”: add “How we calculate price tests” with a short worked example.

3. 3

   Write for the job to be done

   Keep it specific. Add a screenshot or a code block if needed. A few short paragraphs beat fluff. Link to your docs if deep detail belongs there.

4. 4

   Add a simple FAQ on the page

   Answer common questions that appear in People also ask for this query. Keep answers short and direct.

A fixed page looks like your /pricing now stating “Startup pricing analytics” in the title and H1, plus a clear section on “How price experiments work” with a chart and a short example.

Internal links move the needle fast on page two terms. Add links from pages that already get traffic or links. Place them in body copy with meaningful anchors.

• Find strong pages: in Search Console, sort Pages by Clicks over the last 28 days. Your homepage, /features, and a popular guide are safe bets.
• Choose anchors that name the topic. Link with “startup pricing analytics” or a close variant, not “click here”.
• Place links where users benefit. Add a short sentence that leads naturally into the link. Avoid dumping links in a footer list.
• Add a relevant nav link if the page is core. For pricing, a top nav item already exists, so use contextual links in guides and features instead.

Example: add a link from /guides/getting-started, “Run your first startup pricing analytics test”, pointing to /pricing. Add one from /features/experiments with “pricing analytics for startups”. Place both near the top of those pages’ bodies.

Fix simple blockers before you wait for movement. These checks take minutes and prevent wasted effort when the page is not cleanly indexable or discoverable.

• Indexation: the page must be indexed. If it shows “Alternate page with proper canonical tag”, Google found a canonical to a different URL and agreed with it, so this page will be left out on purpose. Only fix it if the canonical is wrong.
• Canonical tag: the canonical should point to itself if this is the main version. Check for stray canonicals to a tag page or a UTM version.
• Orphan status: the page needs internal links from your hub pages. Add it to a hub and a guide.
• Page speed basics: hit Core Web Vitals for the page. Aim for Largest Contentful Paint within about 2.5 seconds, Cumulative Layout Shift at about 0.1 or less, and Interaction to Next Paint around 200 ms.
• Title and meta: keep the title under about 60 characters and write a meta description that sets the promise in about 155 characters.

Wait for recrawl, then watch the query and page together. Use comparisons to see if you moved up and earned clicks. Keep notes of what you changed and when.

1. 1

   Check the query trend

   In Search Console, open the query and compare the last 28 days with the 28 before. Watch position, impressions, and clicks change together.

2. 2

   Check the page trend

   Switch to Pages, filter to your URL, then add a Query filter for that term. This shows the page’s share of clicks for the target query.

3. 3

   Read CTR with care

   CTR is clicks divided by impressions. If impressions jump while position holds, CTR can drop while total clicks rise. That can still be a win.

4. 4

   Annotate your change

   Note the ship date in your doc. If nothing moves after 28 days, consider a stronger section, clearer anchors, or a different target query on the same page.

You are already in the race. A page in the mid teens has crawl, partial relevance, and often some links. You can push it to page one with focused work.

• It compounds signals. The same URL keeps its backlinks and history.
• It avoids cannibalisation. A second page for the same term risks splitting clicks and link equity.
• It is faster to ship. You change a title, an H1, a paragraph, and add a focused section.
• It is cleaner for users. One good page wins trust more than thin duplicates spread across your blog.

Write a new page only when intent truly differs. If the top results are definitions, a focused “What is startup pricing analytics?” explainer can live in /guides and link to /pricing. Make those pages distinct and cross linked so they do not compete for the same term.