{
  "slug": "striking-distance-candidates",
  "name": "Striking-distance candidates",
  "aliases": [
    "Striking distance keywords",
    "Near-page-1 keywords"
  ],
  "definition": "The keywords sitting inside the near-page-1 band that still rank below the target position, the rows where a small ranking nudge is the lever.",
  "category": "Content opportunity",
  "type": "raw measure",
  "unit": "candidate keyword-and-page rows",
  "direction": "neutral",
  "verification": "verified",
  "calculation": "A keyword-and-page row qualifies when its impression-weighted average position falls inside the band (default 8 to 20 inclusive), is strictly below the target position (default 5), and the row has positive impressions. Qualifying rows are ranked by adjusted upside and cut to the requested top N.",
  "aggregation": "A count of qualifying rows; the returned list is the top N of them and not the whole set.",
  "grain": "One keyword × one page × the window.",
  "dimensions": [
    "query",
    "page",
    "brand",
    "intent",
    "device"
  ],
  "requiredFilters": [
    "date range"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "search-console"
  ],
  "reports": [
    "search-opportunity-report"
  ],
  "skills": [
    "striking-distance-sprint",
    "content-decay-refresh"
  ],
  "verbs": [
    "striking_distance"
  ],
  "rungs": [
    "R2"
  ],
  "levers": [
    "L3",
    "L4"
  ],
  "questions": [
    "Which keywords are closest to page 1?",
    "What are our quick wins this week?",
    "Show me positions 8 to 20 for non-brand demand"
  ],
  "interpretation": "The candidate pool, not the plan. Membership is a position fact; whether a candidate is worth working depends on the modeled upside beside it and on business value the data does not carry.",
  "caveats": [
    "The band and the target are defaults rather than findings, widening the band changes both the count and the ranking.",
    "Position is the window's impression-weighted average, so a keyword that swung between position 4 and position 25 can average into the band without ever having sat there.",
    "Rows already at or above the target are excluded rather than shown with zero upside.",
    "Windows stretched far enough back to cross Google's September 2025 reporting change carry that artifact into the band membership."
  ],
  "freshness": "1 to 2 days behind, Google's own reporting lag. Any answer touching the last 48 hours says so on the card.",
  "failureModes": [
    "Treating band membership as a difficulty assessment.",
    "Comparing candidate counts across runs that used different bands or targets."
  ],
  "notSameAs": [],
  "related": [
    "potential-clicks-adjusted",
    "ctr-gain",
    "avg-position"
  ],
  "workflows": [],
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-04"
}