--- name: google-search-console-striking-distance-keywords description: "Every Wednesday, the queries where you rank 8 to 20 with real impressions, the page that ranks, and the clicks each could add near the top. Use when the user asks for this, or when it runs on a schedule." --- # Search Console striking distance keywords Every Wednesday, the queries where you rank 8 to 20 with real impressions, the page that ranks, and the clicks each could add near the top. Striking distance is the cheapest SEO there is. Google already finds the page relevant and ranks it at the bottom of page one or the top of page two, so a sharper title, a section that answers the query directly or two internal links can be enough. Finding the candidates means filtering a Performance export by position, which few people do twice. The agent does it weekly, scores each query by the clicks it would gain near the top, and names the page to edit. The list shifts a little every week, which is how you can tell the edits worked. ## Two ways to get the data Use the API or MCP route when you have an MCP server, a CLI or an API token for the app. Otherwise, if you can drive a browser the user is signed in to (Claude in Chrome, a Playwright or Chrome DevTools MCP server), use the browser route. Say which one you used. ## Route A: API or MCP server ### What you need - Restricted or full user access to the Search Console property. - Search Console API access for the agent: a Search Console MCP server or connector, or OAuth or service-account credentials with the `webmasters.readonly` scope. If something is missing, say what and stop; do not invent numbers. ### Steps 1. **Pull query and page pairs** (Google Search Console): Call `searchanalytics.query` with `dimensions: ["query", "page"]`, the 28 days ending 2 days ago, `type: "web"` and `rowLimit: 25000`, paging with `startRow` if the site has more rows. 2. **Keep positions 8 to 20**: Filter to rows with an average `position` from 8 to 20 and at least 200 impressions. Drop branded queries (your name and its misspellings), which are not won with content. 3. **Estimate the upside**: Take the site's own CTR for queries in positions 3 to 5 over the same 28 days, multiply it by each query's impressions and subtract the clicks it already gets. Sort by that gain. 4. **Group by page**: When several candidates point at the same page, list them together, since one rewrite can lift all of them. A query that ranks with two of your pages is a cannibalization hint; note it. 5. **Post the shortlist**: The top 5 to 10 queries with page, position, impressions, clicks and estimated gain, plus one line naming the edit to make first. ## Route B: the browser ### What you need - Signed in to Google with at least Restricted access to the Search Console property. If something is missing, say what and stop; do not invent numbers. ### Steps Start at https://search.google.com/search-console/performance/search-analytics. The user is signed in already; never type passwords or codes, and ask if a sign-in page appears. 1. **Open 28 days of query data**: Pick the property, then Performance > Search results. Set the Date filter to `Last 28 days`, Search type `Web`, and turn on Total clicks, Total impressions, Average CTR and Average position above the chart. 2. **Keep positions 8 to 20 with real impressions**: On the Queries tab, add a filter `Query > Queries not containing` your brand name. Use the filter icon above the table to filter rows by `Impressions` greater than `200`, then sort by Position and read the rows between 8 and 20. 3. **Read your top-5 CTR**: Change the row filter to `Position` smaller than `5.5` and note the CTR of queries sitting at positions 3 to 5. That is the CTR each candidate would earn near the top. 4. **Find the page for each candidate**: Click a query row, open the Pages tab and note the first page; two of your pages sharing the impressions is a cannibalization hint. Remove the query filter before the next one. 5. **Score and shortlist**: Estimated gain is impressions times your top-5 CTR minus current clicks. Group candidates by page and list the top 5 to 10. When the table hits its 1,000-row cap, use Export > Google Sheets and do the filtering there. Note: The Queries table shows at most 1,000 rows and only one row filter at a time, so on a large site the position filter leaves out candidates; the export to Google Sheets is the honest version. The UI shows one dimension at a time, so query and page pairs take one click per query. ## The report - **How many queries** sit in positions 8 to 20 with 200+ impressions, and the clicks they could add. - **Shortlist**: query, ranking page, position, impressions, current clicks and estimated gain. - **Pages with several candidates**, since one edit can lift them all. - **Cannibalization hints**: queries where two of your pages split the impressions. - The edit to make first. ## Post it to Briefkin When `BRIEFKIN_TOKEN` is set, or `~/.config/briefkin/env` exists (the installer from https://briefkin.dev/docs writes it), also send the result to the user's Briefkin board as one card. Keep the `item_key` the same on every run so the card updates in place, use a new `event_id` per run, and put today's real numbers in place of the example ones. If the request fails, say so once and carry on. ```bash [ -n "${BRIEFKIN_TOKEN:-}" ] || . ~/.config/briefkin/env curl -sS -X POST "${BRIEFKIN_URL:-https://briefkin.dev}/v1/events" \ -H "authorization: Bearer $BRIEFKIN_TOKEN" \ -H "content-type: application/json" \ -d @- <<'JSON' { "v": 1, "event_id": "google-search-console-striking-distance-keywords/", "item_key": "google-search-console-striking-distance-keywords", "project": "example.com", "source": "Search Console striking distance keywords skill", "kind": "update", "title": "38 queries one push from the top 5", "summary": "38 queries rank between 8 and 20 with 200+ impressions over 28 days. The five below could add about **970 clicks** a month at the site's usual top-5 CTR of 6.5%.", "widget": [ { "type": "Table", "props": { "columns": [ "Query", "Page", "Position", "Impressions", "Clicks", "Est. gain" ], "align": [ "left", "left", "right", "right", "right", "right" ], "rows": [ [ "invoice template word", "/templates/invoice-word", 8.4, 6200, 105, "+298" ], [ "how to write an invoice", "/blog/how-to-write-an-invoice", 11.2, 4800, 38, "+274" ], [ "invoice number format", "/blog/invoice-numbering", 9.6, 2900, 41, "+148" ], [ "freelance invoice", "/templates/freelance-invoice", 13.5, 2400, 14, "+142" ], [ "proforma invoice meaning", "/blog/proforma-invoice", 16.1, 1700, 6, "+105" ] ] } }, { "type": "Callout", "props": { "text": "Start with /templates/invoice-word: it ranks 8.4 for \"invoice template word\" and its title never mentions Word.", "tone": "info" } } ] } JSON ``` Widgets come from the Briefkin catalog (https://briefkin.dev/v1/catalog). Without a token, just give the user the report. ## Run it on a schedule Suggested: Wednesdays at 9:00 (`0 9 * * 3`). From cron, with the agent signed in on that machine: ```bash 0 9 * * 3 claude -p "Run the google-search-console-striking-distance-keywords skill" # Codex: codex exec, Gemini CLI: gemini -p, Copilot CLI: copilot -p, OpenCode: opencode run ``` Or use the agent's own scheduler (Claude Code routines, Codex automations, Claude or ChatGPT scheduled tasks): https://briefkin.dev/skills/google-search-console-striking-distance-keywords#schedule Source: https://briefkin.dev/skills/google-search-console-striking-distance-keywords