Find queries with room to move
A striking distance query already earns visibility but sits below the first ten results on average. It can point to a page that answers the right question and needs a clearer explanation, a missing section, or better internal links. It is a starting point for investigation, not a promise that an edit will improve rankings.
Read the striking distance definition alongside average position. A query's average combines different searches, devices and locations. It does not mean your page held one fixed rank throughout the period.
How mowteng builds the list
The insights_striking_distance tool uses Search Console data to find queries whose average position is 11–20, then sorts them by impressions. Higher impressions put visible opportunities near the top. Ask the assistant to state the property and reporting period so you can repeat the analysis later.
Use gsc_search_analytics to investigate a candidate by query, page, device or country. It returns up to 1,000 rows per call, with paging. If two pages serve the same query, run the cannibalization analysis before deciding which page to improve.
Questions to ask your assistant
Find striking distance queries for my property over the last 28 days. Sort by impressions and show clicks, CTR and average position.
For the five highest-impression candidates, show the pages getting impressions. Separate mobile and desktop performance before suggesting what I should review.
Turn a candidate into an edit
Open the landing page and compare its answer with the query's intent. Check whether the answer is easy to find, whether examples are current, and whether related pages link to it naturally. Prioritize useful changes over adding words to reach an arbitrary length. A strong impression count alone does not establish commercial value.
Record the edit date and compare equal periods after enough new data arrives. Use date range comparisons to see whether clicks, impressions and position moved together. Keep seasonal changes and demand shifts in view.
Do the check in Search Console
Open the search performance report, choose your date range, and enable average position and impressions. Review queries with average positions from 11 through 20, using an export if filtering is easier there. Sort by impressions. Select each query and view its pages, then compare device and country segments. The manual process gives you the same questions to investigate before changing a page.