Striking distance keywords
Find the pages one push from page one
GapDigest reads your Google Search Console and orders every query where you already sit on the edge of page one, position 8 to 20, by how much traffic each one is leaving on the table. Fix the page that's already close instead of guessing which post to write next.
A striking distance keyword, up close
A query at position 8 to 20 with real searches behind it. Google has already decided the page is about the topic; it hasn't decided the page is one of the best answers to it. The list is sorted by impressions, so the query with the most to gain sits at the top.
How the list is built
Connects once
Sign in with Google once. GapDigest imports 16 months of your Search Console history, then rereads the last 5 days every night, so a slow revision from Google still lands in your numbers.
Filtered to the band that moves
Only queries averaging position 8 to 20 over the last 28 days, with at least 20 impressions in that window, qualify: close enough to page one to be won, and searched enough to be worth the edit.
Sorted by what you'd gain
Ranked by impressions, so the query with the most searches sitting just off page one is always first. The top 20 arrive in the weekly report.
What to do with a striking distance keyword
Strengthen the page you have
Most of these queries already have a page. Add the heading, the paragraph, or the section that answers the query more directly, rather than starting a new post.
Link to it from a page that already covers it
GapDigest crawls your own site once a week and lists pages whose text already mentions the query but don't yet link to the page that ranks for it, with anchor text, so you don't have to search your own site by hand.
Watch it move
The next week's Search Console read shows whether the edit worked, in the same report that found the keyword.
A striking distance keyword is also called a low-hanging-fruit keyword. See the guide to finding them by hand in Search Console for the reasoning behind the position 8 to 20 range, or connect Search Console and let the free plan build the list for you. Pair it with the Search Console rank tracker for the daily position behind each query, or read what else arrives in the weekly SEO report.
See a competitor's gap keywords now
Your domain against one competitor: up to 20 keywords they rank for and you don't, with searches, difficulty, and intent. No login.
Questions
What counts as a striking distance keyword?
A Search Console query where your page has averaged a position between 8 and 20 over the last 28 days, with at least 20 impressions in that window. GapDigest lists your top 20, sorted by impressions, so the query with the most searches sitting just off page one comes first.
How often does the list update?
Search Console data for the last 5 days refreshes every night. The striking distance list itself goes out with the weekly report, built from whatever Google has confirmed by then.
Do I need to add these as tracked keywords first?
No. Striking distance queries come straight from your connected Search Console property, so the list includes every qualifying query Google already shows impressions for, not only the ones on your tracked keyword list.
Is a striking distance keyword the same as a low-hanging-fruit keyword?
Same range, same idea: a query at position 8 to 20 that's close enough to page one to move with an edit rather than a new post. See the guide on finding them by hand in Search Console for the reasoning behind the range.
Which plans include it?
Every plan, including Free, once you connect Search Console. There's no extra charge and no separate report to open.
Does GapDigest suggest which page should link to it?
Yes. On the Insights tab, GapDigest crawls up to 200 pages of your own site once a week and lists pages whose text already mentions a striking distance query but don't yet link to the page that ranks for it, with anchor text, so adding the link is a look-up rather than a search.
Your first striking distance list arrives within a week
Connect Search Console when you add your site. The first weekly report brings your top 20 queries at positions 8 to 20, sorted by impressions, alongside your rank moves and your competitors' gaps.