How to Find High Intent, Low Difficulty Keywords in GSC

When looking for new keyword opportunities, most SEOs turn to third-party tools like Ahrefs or Semrush. They type in a seed keyword, filter for low “Keyword Difficulty” (KD), and start creating net-new content from scratch.

While this is a valid strategy, it is slow and highly competitive.

The most accurate, lowest-difficulty keyword research tool isn’t a third-party software—it is your own Google Search Console data.

Existing Data vs. Keyword Tools#

Third-party tools estimate Keyword Difficulty based on backlink profiles and generic formulas. They don’t know how Google actually views your specific website.

Google Search Console, however, shows you the truth. If Google is already giving your website impressions for a keyword, it means the algorithm already considers your domain relevant for that topic. The “difficulty” of moving a keyword from Position 15 to Position 5 is drastically lower than ranking a brand new page for a “Low KD” keyword found in an external tool.

High Impressions, Low Clicks#

To find these golden opportunities, you need to look for a specific pattern in your GSC data: High Impressions, Low Clicks, and Average Positions between 11 and 30.

These are your Striking Distance Keywords. Because they are generating high impressions, you know the search volume is there. Because the clicks are low, you know there is massive room for improvement.

Opportunity Scoring with Kong Metrics#

Mining this data manually in the GSC interface requires heavy filtering and spreadsheet exports.

Kong Metrics automates this entirely via Opportunity Scoring.

By analyzing your raw API data, Kong Metrics calculates the expected Traffic Potential for every keyword sitting just off Page 1. It then assigns a score (0-100) based on the search volume and the proximity to the top 3 spots.

Instead of guessing what to write next, Kong Metrics hands you a prioritized list of High-Intent keywords that Google already wants you to rank for.

By focusing your editorial efforts on these high Opportunity Score keywords, you bypass the sandbox phase of new content creation and start driving immediate, low-effort traffic gains.