Search Console Optimization: Capturing Low-Hanging Fruit

Google Search Console shows keywords you almost rank for. Position 11-20 means Google considers your content relevant but not quite good enough for page one. Small improvements here produce outsized traffic gains.

The Invisible Opportunity

Page two gets almost zero clicks. A keyword ranking at position 11 has impressions but negligible traffic. Moving that same keyword to position 7 transforms invisible visibility into actual visitors.

These “striking distance” keywords represent your lowest-effort improvement opportunities. Google already trusts your content enough to rank it. A little extra optimization pushes it over the threshold.

Identifying Targets

In Search Console, enable average position in the performance report. Filter for positions 10-20. Sort by impressions descending.

High impressions with low clicks at second-page positions identify keywords where small improvements produce meaningful traffic increases. Each represents an optimization opportunity.

On-Page Improvements

Sometimes you rank for keywords you didn’t deliberately target. Google’s NLP matched your content to queries you didn’t explicitly optimize for. Adding these keywords to your title, H1, and body text reinforces the relevance signal.

Update outdated content. Freshness factors correlate with rankings. Adding current information, updating statistics, or expanding coverage demonstrates ongoing relevance.

Improve click-through rate with better meta descriptions. A compelling description won’t improve your ranking directly but increases clicks from the impressions you already receive.

Support with Links

Internal links from high-authority pages on your site pass strength to struggling pages. Identify strong pages and add contextual links to pages stuck on page two.

If internal linking doesn’t move rankings, external backlinks may be needed. Analyze what pages outrank you and replicate their link sources where possible.

Creating Dedicated Pages

Sometimes you rank moderately for a keyword with a general page when a dedicated page would rank much higher. If Search Console shows high impressions for a specific query on a broad page, consider creating focused content specifically targeting that query.