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How to Push Keywords from Page 2 to Page 1

Kong Metrics Team · · 3 min read

There is an old SEO joke: Where is the best place to hide a dead body? On Page 2 of Google.

It is funny because it's true. According to numerous CTR studies, Page 1 of Google captures over 99% of all clicks. If your keyword ranks at Position 11 (the top of Page 2), you are putting in 90% of the effort to receive less than 1% of the reward.

However, Page 2 is also a goldmine. The keywords sitting there are called Striking Distance Keywords, and pushing them onto Page 1 is the fastest way to grow your organic traffic.

The Value of Page 2

If Google ranks your page at Position 12, it means their algorithm already views your content as highly relevant and authoritative for that topic. You don't need to write a brand new 3,000-word guide from scratch, and you don't need to run a massive digital PR campaign.

The heavy lifting is done. You just need a slight optimization push.

Identifying Target Keywords

Finding these keywords in the GSC web interface is tedious. You must export your data, filter positions between 11 and 20, and try to guess which ones have the search volume to justify the effort.

Striking Distance with Kong Metrics

The Striking Distance feature in Kong Metrics automates this. It instantly isolates every keyword ranking on Page 2 and Page 3.

More importantly, it applies an Opportunity Score to prioritize them. Kong Metrics calculates the expected traffic gain if that specific keyword were to hit Position #3, instantly handing you a prioritized list of your most lucrative quick wins.

Optimization Tactics

Once Kong Metrics gives you your target list, use these tactics to push them onto Page 1:

  1. Internal Linking (The Strongest Lever): Find the most authoritative pages on your site (usually the homepage or top blog posts). Add contextual links from those powerful pages to your striking distance page, using the exact target keyword as the anchor text.
  2. Refresh the Content: Update the publication date. Add a "2026 Update" section. Check the current Page 1 results—are they including FAQs or video embeds that you are missing? Fill the content gaps.
  3. Improve the CTR: Sometimes, the only thing keeping a page at #11 is a terrible title tag. Rewrite the title and meta description to be more enticing than the results currently on Page 1. Higher engagement can push you over the edge.
  4. Header Tag Optimization: Ensure your H1, H2, and H3 tags naturally incorporate variations of the striking distance keyword.

By systematically working through the striking distance opportunities identified by Kong Metrics, you can achieve exponential traffic growth without creating net-new content.