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SEO quick wins: how to find the keywords stuck on page 2 with Google Search Console

Published on 10 October 2026

A keyword is in “striking distance” when your page already shows up for it, but just past the first page: roughly positions 11 to 20. Google already shows the page for it, so the gap to page 1 is often smaller than for a query where you do not appear at all. That is why these keywords are the usual first stop when looking for SEO quick wins.

“Quick” is relative. Changes can take days or weeks to be taken into account, and nothing guarantees that a page moves up. What you can do is spend your time on the queries that have something to gain, and check the page before editing it. Search Console is free and has what you need.

What counts as striking distance, and what does not

Search Console reports an average position. A query at 11.4 may have sat at 8 on some days and at 30 on others, and “page 2” is itself an approximation: the number of results per page is not always ten.

Not every query in that range deserves work. Skip those with a handful of impressions, and those whose intent your page does not really answer.

Step 1: list the queries between positions 11 and 20

  1. Open Search Console, then Performance and Search results. Set the period to the last 3 months.
  2. Make sure Total clicks, Total impressions and Average position are switched on at the top of the report, then open the Queries tab.
  3. Export the table with the Export button and filter it in your spreadsheet: average position of at least 11 and at most 20, then sort by impressions.

The report shows at most 1,000 rows, which is plenty for a small site. On a larger one, filter first (a Page filter on one section of the site) and export each part.

One caveat for long comparisons. In mid-September 2025, many sites saw their impressions fall and their average position improve in Search Console. Analysts linked it to Google ending the num=100 parameter that tools used to request 100 results at once. If you compare with a period before that date, treat the difference with caution.

Step 2: attach each query to the page that ranks

  1. Back in the report, add a Query filter with a query from your list (the “Exact query” option avoids partial matches).
  2. Open the Pages tab. You see the page, or the pages, that Google shows for it.
  3. If several queries of your list lead to the same page, note it: one page with three queries between 11 and 18 is usually a better use of your time than three pages with one query each.

If two pages split the same query, it is a cannibalization question before it is a quick win.

Step 3: check that the page really answers the query

This step is often skipped. Search the query yourself, in a private window if possible, and compare your page with the first-page results: same type of page (a guide, a product page, a list)? Same depth? Same freshness?

  • The page fits the intent but is thinner or older. Complete it: answer the question the query asks, update what is out of date, add the part that the first-page results have and yours does not.
  • The page covers the topic, but not in the query’s words. Check the title, the H1 and the headings. Use the words people actually type, where they read naturally.
  • The page is not the right answer. The query asks for something you do not offer, or something another page of yours answers better. Leave it, or create the right page, but do not force this one.

Step 4: make small, targeted changes

  • Title and H1: put the main query in, naturally, near the start. Do not repeat it.
  • Content: add the section, the example or the table that answers the question. Cut what is not useful.
  • Internal links: link to the page from your stronger pages, with a descriptive anchor that matches the query rather than “click here”.
  • Avoid: repeating the keyword to stuff the page, or splitting one page into several near-identical ones to target variants.

Step 5: measure, without rushing

Before the change, write down the date, the query, the page and its impressions, clicks and average position. Google has to recrawl the page and reprocess it; the URL Inspection tool shows the date of the last crawl. Then compare the same queries over equal periods.

Judge a change on clicks and impressions as much as on position: an average position moves for reasons that have nothing to do with your edit. Nothing guarantees a gain. A better page gives Google a better reason to show it higher; it does not decide for it.

A worked example (fictional data)

The site app.example sells project management software. The table lists some of its queries between positions 11 and 20 over 3 months. These numbers are invented to illustrate the method; they do not come from a real site.

Queries between positions 11 and 20, last 3 months (fictional data)
QueryImpressionsClicksAverage position
client portal software7,60010011.4
client portal for freelancers640913.2
white label client portal410316.8
client portal pricing180212.1

Reading: the Pages tab shows that the first three queries lead to the same page, /client-portal/. Together they hold 8,650 impressions and 112 clicks, so it is the page to work on. “client portal pricing” leads to /pricing/ and has few impressions: it can wait.

Decision: compare /client-portal/ with the first-page results for “client portal software”. Its title says only “Portal | App” and no section is about freelancers. The change: a title and an H1 that name “client portal software”, a section for freelancers (only if the product serves them), and a link from /features/ with the anchor “client portal”. The numbers to watch afterwards are the impressions and clicks of /client-portal/ for these three queries.

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