Google Search Console quick wins: how to find the keywords stuck on page two

Writing new pages is the slow way to grow search traffic. The quick way is to look at pages Google already shows for a query, just not high enough to be clicked. Moving a page from position 14 to position 6 can multiply its clicks, and it rarely needs anything more than a better title, a clearer section and a few internal links.

Search Console has all the data you need, for free. Here is the exact process we use.

What “striking distance” means

Keywords where your page ranks on average between roughly position 8 and 20 are said to be in striking distance. Google already considers the page relevant. It just needs a stronger signal than the pages above it. These are almost always easier to move than keywords where you do not rank at all.

Step 1: Open the Performance report the right way

1. Go to Search Console → Performance → Search results.
2. Set the date range to the last 3 months. Shorter ranges are noisy for small sites.
3. Turn on all four metrics: clicks, impressions, CTR and average position.
4. Open the Queries tab.

Step 2: Filter to positions 8–20 with real demand

Search Console's table filter lets you narrow by position. Add a filter for position greater than 7.5, then sort by impressions. Ignore anything below the position-20 mark for now, and skip queries with only a handful of impressions; they are not worth the effort yet.

Export the list if it is long. You want a short list of queries with plenty of impressions and an average position on page two or the bottom of page one.

Step 3: Match each query to the page that ranks

Click a query, then switch to the Pages tab. You will see which URL Google shows for it. Two things to look for:

• One clear page. Good. That is the page to improve.
• Several pages taking turns. This is keyword cannibalisation. Google cannot decide which page answers the query, so neither ranks well. Pick the stronger page, improve it, and link to it from the weaker one, or merge the two.

Step 4: Improve the page, in this order

Rewrite the title and meta description

Check whether the query, or a close variation, appears in the title tag. Then look at the CTR column. A page with good impressions and a CTR far below the pages around it usually has a title that does not match what the searcher wants. Make it specific: “GST invoice format for freelancers (free template)” beats “Invoicing tips”.

Answer the query directly near the top

Add a short, direct answer under a heading that mirrors the query. This helps both regular rankings and AI answers; we cover the AI side in how to get recommended by ChatGPT.

Fill the gaps the top results cover

Search the query yourself. Note the sub-topics every page on page one covers that yours does not. Add those sections, in your own words and with your own examples. Do not pad. Length is not the goal; completeness is.

Add internal links with descriptive text

Find three or four related pages on your site and link to the target page using words close to the query. Internal links are the most underused ranking lever on small sites, and they cost nothing.

Step 5: Track the change

Write down the date of each change and the page's average position for the main query. Check again after three to four weeks. Search Console data lags by a couple of days, and rankings settle slowly, so judging after a week leads to bad decisions.

Rank tracking makes this far easier, because you see daily positions for the exact keywords you are working on rather than an average over a period. If your business serves a local area, check rankings by location too; geo-grid tracking shows how much they vary street by street.

Common mistakes

• Changing the URL of a page that already ranks. Keep URLs stable unless there is a strong reason.
• Editing ten things on ten pages at once, then not knowing what worked.
• Chasing queries with thousands of impressions where you rank 45th, instead of the easy wins at position 11.
• Forgetting mobile. Check how the page looks on a phone, where most searches happen.

Do it every month, not once

New queries drift into striking distance all the time. Make this a monthly habit, ideally as part of your monthly client report if you run an agency. ARIQ pulls Search Console data in automatically, flags pages sitting in positions 8 to 20 and tracks the keywords you choose every week. You can even set up an alert that emails you when one of them drops. For new keyword ideas around the pages you improve, see our free keyword research method.