How to Find Hidden Traffic in Google Search Console: Striking Distance Keywords and Low-CTR Pages

Last updated: November 2026 · Written by Adrian Prokopiec, 20 Minute Marketing · 10 min read

This guide is for small business owners who already have Google Search Console set up and want to use it to get more traffic, not just look at it. If you haven't connected your site yet, start with our 20-minute Google Search Console setup guide, then come back. And if you've set it up but aren't sure you're reading it right, check these four Search Console mistakes that cost you traffic.

Here you'll learn exactly where to click to find the searches you're "nearly winning", how to tell which ones are worth your time, and what to change on the page. It's the most efficient SEO work a time-poor business owner can do, because Google has already told you it thinks you're relevant.

What is "hidden traffic" in Search Console?

Most owners look at their analytics and assume they're only found for their business name. Search Console usually tells a different story. Every time your site appears in Google's results, that's an impression, whether or not anyone clicks. Google's help page on impressions, position and clicks explains that position is the topmost spot your link held, averaged across searches. It also confirms that appearances in AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted using the same rules.

So your hidden traffic falls into three groups:

Why does this work better than chasing new keywords? Because these queries come straight from Google's own data about your site. Tools that estimate search volume are guessing; Search Console is showing you what real people typed. If you want to combine the two, our guide to finding low-hanging fruit keywords shows how to find low-competition terms to target alongside this.

Step 1: Find your striking distance keywords

Log into Google Search Console and choose your property. Then:

1. Click Performance (labelled "Search results" under Performance) in the left menu.
2. Set the date range to the last 3 months. This gives enough data to smooth out odd days.
3. Click all four metric boxes at the top so Clicks, Impressions, Average CTR and Average position are all showing.
4. Stay on the Queries tab and click the filter icon above the table. Choose Position, then "Greater than" 7.
5. Add a second filter for Impressions greater than a number that suits your site. For a small local business, 50 over three months is a reasonable start; a busier site might use 500.
6. Sort by Impressions, highest first.

Scan the list and ignore anything above position 20 for now. What you're left with are the searches where you're at the bottom of page one or on page two. Click any query, then switch to the Pages tab to see which page is ranking for it. That's the page you'll improve.

Say you run a plumbing business in Box Hill and see "blocked drain box hill" at position 11 with 300 impressions, ranking with your general drains page. That's a strong candidate: the intent is commercial, it's local and you're close.

Check for cannibalisation while you're there

If the Pages tab shows two or more of your pages appearing for the same query, they may be competing with each other. Pick the page that should rank, strengthen it, and link to it from the other page with a clear anchor. This is one of the most common reasons good sites stall, and we cover it in 12 reasons your website isn't ranking.

Step 2: Find high-impression, low-CTR searches

Remove the position filter. Now sort the Queries table by Impressions and look down the CTR column. You're hunting for queries with lots of impressions but a click-through rate well below your site's overall average (shown at the top of the report). Don't fixate on a universal "good CTR" number. CTR naturally varies with position and with how much space ads, maps and AI Overviews take up on that results page, so compare against your own site.

When you find one, search the query yourself on Google (in a private window) and look at what you're up against:

• Does your title match the search? If someone searched "how much does a split system cost to install" and your title says "Air Conditioning Services | Smith Cooling", you're not answering their question.
• Is Google rewriting your title? Google's guidance on influencing title links says it may generate its own title if yours is vague, too long or stuffed with keywords. Clear, descriptive titles are more likely to be used.
• Does your snippet sell the click? Google's advice on writing meta descriptions is to make each one unique and an accurate summary of the page. Include a concrete detail, such as a price range, service area or what's included.
• Is it a map pack or AI Overview search? If the results page is dominated by the map pack, your Google Business Profile may matter more than your page title for that query.

A useful trick: if you've built a bank of customer questions and answers, like the AI-ready FAQ database we show you how to create, use it to write a meta description that directly answers the query in plain language.

Step 3: Use regex filters to find questions, suburbs and non-brand searches

Search Console lets you filter queries with regular expressions. Google's guide to advanced filtering and comparison confirms it uses RE2 syntax, matches anywhere in the query unless you use ^ or $, and is case-insensitive by default. To use one, click + Add filter (or the existing Query filter), choose Query, change the dropdown to Custom (regex), and paste one of these:

Question searches are especially valuable now that Google answers more questions directly with AI. A clear, well-structured answer on your page gives you a better chance of being the source Google uses. Our guides to how Google's AI is changing search and ranking in AI Overviews and voice search go deeper on that.

Step 4: Spot content gaps

Sometimes the queries list shows impressions for things you've never properly written about. A Melbourne gardener might see "when to prune roses in melbourne" at position 45, coming from a general services page. Google is reaching for the closest thing you have. That's a signal there's demand you're not meeting.

The fix is a dedicated page or post built for that query. You don't need to be a writer: our voice memo to blog post workflow shows how to talk through what you know and turn it into a draft, and our guide to writing a blog post that ranks covers the structure. There's no guarantee a new page will jump to the top, but you'll be giving Google a much better match than the page it's currently stretching.

Do this in 20 minutes: your monthly hidden traffic routine

Once a month, block 20 minutes and run this:

1. Pull the list (5 minutes). Performance report, last 3 months, all four metrics, filter position greater than 7 and a minimum number of impressions. Note the top five queries.
2. Pick one page (2 minutes). Choose the query with the clearest commercial intent and find the page ranking for it.
3. Rewrite the title and meta description (5 minutes). Put the main phrase near the start of the title, keep it descriptive, and write a description that summarises what the page offers.
4. Improve the page (6 minutes). Answer the query in the first paragraph, add a heading that uses the phrase naturally, and add one or two internal links to this page from related pages using descriptive anchor text.
5. Log it (2 minutes). Write down the date, page and change in a simple spreadsheet. In Search Console, you can then use Compare in the date filter to check the four weeks after your change against the four weeks before.

Then request indexing for the updated page using the URL Inspection tool at the top of Search Console, and run through our after-publish SEO checklist to make sure nothing's been missed.

Don't skip the technical health checks

All of this assumes Google can crawl and index your pages. While you're in Search Console, glance at two other reports:

• Page indexing: shows which pages Google has indexed and why others are excluded, such as "Crawled, currently not indexed" or blocked by robots.txt. If an important page is excluded, fix that first. Our guide to why your website might be invisible to Google walks through the common causes.
• Core Web Vitals: flags pages that load slowly or shift around on mobile. Fix the underlying issues with our technical SEO guide for small business.

Google's own guide to using Search Console is a good extra read on the rest of the tool. The habit that matters most is simple: open Search Console at least monthly and act on what it shows you, rather than letting small technical issues pile up.

If you'd like this taught step by step, the 20 Minute Marketing SEO course covers Search Console, on-page fixes and keyword targeting in short lessons, and our Digital Marketing Essentials course walks you through a live Search Console setup alongside the rest of your marketing. You can also browse all our courses, or if you're comparing training options, read how small business owners should choose a marketing course. For the bigger picture on small business SEO in the AI era and how it fits into your overall digital marketing, those guides are a good next step.

Frequently asked questions

What are striking distance keywords?

They're searches where your page already ranks just outside the top results, usually around average position 8 to 20. Because Google already sees your page as relevant, a focused improvement can be enough to move it up.

Why is the data in Search Console different from Google Analytics?

Search Console measures what happens on Google: impressions, clicks and positions. Analytics measures what people do on your website. They count different things in different ways, so the numbers won't match. Use both together.

Does Search Console include AI Overviews and AI Mode?

Yes. Google says clicks on links in AI Overviews and AI Mode count as clicks, standard impression rules apply, and an AI Overview occupies a single position in the results.

How long until I see results after updating a page?

It varies. Google needs to recrawl the page first, and rankings can move around for a while. Compare the four to eight weeks after your change with the same period before it, and avoid changing the same page again too soon.

How often should I check Search Console?

Once a month is enough for most small businesses. Use that time to find striking distance and low-CTR queries and improve one or two pages. Check sooner if you get an email alert from Search Console.

Is Google Search Console free?

Yes. It's a free tool from Google for website owners. You never need to pay anyone for access to your own Search Console data.

Keep reading

• Keyword research in 20 minutes
• 5 SEO content mistakes keeping you on page 5
• Image SEO for Google AI Mode and visual search
• A 90-day SEO strategy to grow your traffic