Striking distance link building plan for pages ranking 8-20

What striking distance means for pages ranking 8-20

“Striking distance” is simple: a page already ranks near the bottom of page 1 or the top of page 2 (often positions 8-20). It’s close enough that a small push can turn “almost there” into consistent clicks.

Pages in this range usually don’t need a full rewrite. They already match search intent well enough to rank. What they often lack is trust compared with the pages above them. That’s why a few targeted, high-quality links can sometimes do more than endless headline tweaks.

A practical plan starts by picking opportunities where links are likely to matter.

A page in positions 8-20 is usually a good candidate when:

• The query gets steady impressions and has real click potential.
• The page is accurate and not outdated.
• The top results are similar in format (not only mega-brands or news).
• The page is close on several related queries.
• You can point links to it without forcing weird anchor text.

Links act like votes of confidence. When your page is already “good enough,” those votes can be the missing signal that helps it pass one or two competitors.

Not every page is worth boosting. If the query isn’t relevant to your business, has little demand, or the page converts poorly, links become expensive decoration.

Example: a product-led post sits at position 11 for a high-intent query and the content is solid. Two or three placements from trusted publications can be enough to move it into the top 7, where clicks often jump.

Pull the right data from Google Search Console

Start with enough history to trust the numbers. If your site only has a few days of data, a page can look like an “opportunity” because of a short spike. Most sites get a clearer picture with at least 28 days, and 60 to 90 days is even better when traffic is steady.

In Google Search Console, use the Performance report for Search results. You’ll see the exact queries people typed and how your pages rank. Switch to the Pages view to spot URLs earning impressions and their average positions.

Before you export anything, pick a date range and stick to it. Mixing time windows is an easy way to confuse yourself later.

Export both queries and pages so you can score them offline. A basic spreadsheet is enough as long as you can sort, filter, and add a few scoring columns. Treat this export as your monthly baseline.

The fields that matter most:

• Impressions (demand)
• Clicks (what you already win)
• Average position (how close you are)
• CTR (how appealing your result is)

Keep query-level and page-level exports separate. Query data helps you pick targets. Page data helps you pick the exact URL you’ll boost.

Filter down to opportunities that can realistically move

Search Console can show hundreds of “almost there” queries. Only a small slice is worth spending authority on.

First, define what “close enough” means. A common window is average position 8 to 20. Pair it with a minimum impression threshold so you’re not chasing a keyword that shows up twice a month. If there’s no visibility, links won’t create noticeable movement.

Next, split brand and non-brand queries. Brand terms often rise on their own and can hide real growth. Keep brand data for reporting, but build your shortlist from non-brand searches that can bring new customers.

Then group the data by page URL. This prevents the classic mistake of chasing single keywords that all belong to the same page. When you group by URL, it’s easier to see which pages already have momentum and deserve a push.

A simple filter that works for most sites:

• Position between 8 and 20
• Enough impressions to matter
• Non-brand intent
• Queries that match what the page actually offers
• A page you can still improve (content, offer, or UX)

Finally, remove pages you can’t or shouldn’t improve. If a page is outdated, tied to a discontinued product, or targets low-intent searches like “free” when you sell premium, don’t spend backlinks there.

Example: a product page that ranks #12 to #18 for several buying-intent queries and gets steady impressions is often a better candidate than a post ranking #9 for a vague “what is…” query that never leads to sign-ups.

Score each query and URL by business value

Ranking 8-20 is only worth pushing if the traffic will matter. Treat links like a limited budget and place them where they can drive revenue, not just prettier charts.

Build a score you can explain in 60 seconds

Use three parts on a 1-5 scale so a non-SEO teammate can sanity-check it.

• Business value (1-5): purchase intent, lead value, and expected LTV. “Pricing” and “best [product] for [use case]” usually score higher than definition-only queries.
• SEO lift (1-5): how much upside you can capture soon. Look at impressions, current position, and the CTR gap.
• Difficulty proxy (1-5): what you’re up against. Heavy brand SERPs, aggressive review sites, and SERP features raise difficulty.

Combine them with a weighted total:

Total score = (Business value x 0.5) + (SEO lift x 0.3) + ((6 - Difficulty) x 0.2)

That last part flips difficulty so “easier” gets more points.

Add short notes so you don’t misread the numbers

Scores miss context. Add one line of notes per query or URL, such as seasonality, product fit, or funnel stage.

Example notes:

• “High intent, but out of stock until next month.”
• “Great fit for enterprise, weak for SMB.”

A “pricing” query might score Business 5, Lift 3, Difficulty 4. A “how to” query might score Business 2, Lift 5, Difficulty 2. The first can still be the better use of links if your goal is sales now.

Once you have 10-20 scored candidates, it becomes easier to justify spending on high-authority backlinks only for the few pages where authority is most likely to pay back.

Choose a short list of URLs to boost

Focus is the whole point. If you try to push 40 pages at once, you spread authority too thin and you won’t know what worked.

Start with 5 to 15 URLs that show steady impressions and sit in the 8 to 20 range for queries that matter to your business. If a page gets almost no impressions, links can help, but you’re guessing.

Sanity-check each page before you commit links

Before a URL makes the final cut, confirm two things:

1. It matches the search intent.
2. It isn’t held back by obvious on-page issues.

If the query is informational but your page is a product pitch, links won’t fix the mismatch. If the page is thin, outdated, or hard to navigate, improve that first so new authority has something solid to support.

If two URLs compete for the same theme, decide whether to boost one or consolidate. Pick the stronger page (better content, clearer conversion path) and point effort there.

A quick way to finalize the shortlist:

• Keep one URL per keyword theme unless there’s a clear reason to split.
• Prefer stable rankings and consistent impressions.
• Drop pages where you can’t explain the intent match in one sentence.

Write a one-line brief and define success

For every chosen URL, write one sentence: “Improve visibility for [keyword theme] to capture [type of visitor].” Then set a specific win condition, like “move from 14-18 into 7-10” or “add 30 clicks per month.”

Example: if a pricing page sits at position 11-16 for a pricing query and already converts, it’s a great candidate for a few high-authority backlinks.

Plan the authority placements for maximum impact

Authority placements work best when they’re concentrated. Start with a small set of pages and give each page just enough lift to test movement.

Decide placements per URL (keep it focused)

A simple starting point:

• 2-3 high-authority backlinks to your top 1-2 URLs
• 1-2 placements to the remaining URLs
• Pause and re-check positions before adding more

This keeps your signal clean. You can tell which pages respond to links and which need content work.

Point links where they help rankings most

Send most placements to the exact page that ranks 8-20 for the query. That page is already close.

If the page is strong but missing depth, add one supporting link to a relevant resource page, then link internally back to the main target. Avoid sending authority to thin pages that don’t satisfy intent.

Anchor text should look normal, not engineered. Aim for a mix that reads like real writing: brand mentions, partial matches, and descriptive phrases. As a rule of thumb, keep most anchors brand or plain text, then use a smaller portion for partial-match and descriptive anchors.

Plan timing so results are easy to read. Place links in small batches (for example, week 1 and week 3), then watch impressions and average position for 7-14 days between batches.

Example: if a product page is stuck at position 12, give it 2 placements first. If it jumps to 7, it’s link-sensitive and worth another placement. If nothing moves, shift budget to a different URL or improve the page before adding more.

Step-by-step: a 2-hour striking distance sprint

The goal isn’t to perfect your whole SEO plan. It’s to pick a small set of pages that are already close, then give them a focused authority push.

0:00-0:30 - Pull and filter the data

Export Search Console queries and pages for the last 28-90 days (pick one window and stick to it). Filter to positions 8-20, remove branded terms, remove low-impression outliers, and cut pages you don’t want ranking higher (old promos, thin tag pages, outdated posts). You should end with a workable list, not hundreds of rows.

0:30-1:00 - Score fast in one sheet

Add a few columns and score each query-URL pair. Keep it basic: business value (does it lead to leads or sales?), intent fit (does the page answer the query?), and upside (impressions times expected CTR lift). Sort by total score and pick a top tier.

1:00-1:20 - Sanity-check the SERP

Open the top candidates and scan the first-page results. You’re checking, “Can this page belong here?” If the SERP is all giant brands, tools, or listicles and your page is a short definition, it may not move even with links.

Example: if your pricing page sits at position 12 for a pricing query and the top results are mostly pricing pages, that’s a good fit. If the SERP is all “best tools” lists, the pricing page is mismatched.

1:20-1:45 - Assign link budget and anchor plan

Decide how many authority placements each URL gets based on its score and revenue impact. Keep anchors natural. Avoid repeating the same keyword-heavy wording across multiple placements.

1:45-2:00 - Record the baseline

Before you place anything, capture a snapshot so you can tell if it worked:

• Current average position for the main query/theme
• Impressions and clicks (same time window)
• Notes on the page (title, freshness, key sections)
• Date you plan to place links

Common mistakes that waste backlinks

Backlinks can move pages ranking 8 to 20, but only when the page is already the right answer. Most failures happen when links are used to “fix” the wrong page instead of strengthening a page that already matches intent.

A common waste is boosting a page with a weak intent match. If the query expects a comparison, pricing, or a how-to, and your page is a thin product blurb, authority won’t solve that mismatch. You might see a small lift, then it stalls.

Another quiet mistake is choosing URLs with tiny impressions. If a page only shows up a few times a week in Search Console, there may be little demand, or Google may not trust it enough to test it yet. Either way, it’s hard to measure a win.

Other repeat offenders:

• Repeating the same keyword-heavy anchor across placements
• Spreading links across too many pages
• Making on-page changes mid-test without logging them

That last point matters more than people think. If you rewrite the title and add internal links while you’re also adding backlinks, you won’t know what caused the movement (or the drop). Keep a simple change log.

Example: you add two high-authority backlinks and a page jumps from position 14 to 9, but you also changed the title the same week. Next month, you can’t repeat what worked.

Quick checklist for before-and-after tracking

Tracking protects your budget. If you can’t tell whether authority placements helped, you’ll end up guessing.

Before you add any links

Do a quick health pass. You’re not trying to perfect everything, just removing obvious reasons a page won’t respond.

• Confirm the URL can be indexed (not blocked, no accidental noindex, and it’s the preferred canonical).
• Load the page on mobile and desktop and make sure it’s easy to use.
• Read the page like a searcher: does it answer the query early and clearly?
• Add a few relevant internal links pointing to it with natural wording.
• Save a baseline snapshot: current position range, impressions, and clicks for the page and its main query theme.

Write down one sentence on what you expect to happen, for example: “Move from 11-15 into 6-10 for the main theme, with more impressions and a modest click lift.”

After links go live

Don’t obsess over daily rank changes. For striking distance pages, the useful signal is whether the URL shifts into a better position band over a few weeks.

• Track the position band weekly (for example, 8-20 vs 4-10).
• Monitor impressions and clicks for the page and for the query theme as a group.
• Note anything else that changed in the same window: content edits, internal linking, seasonality, or SERP changes.
• Log dates: when each placement went live and when metrics started to move.

Example: picking 5 URLs and boosting them with a few placements

A small SaaS team (3 people) sells employee scheduling software. They run this plan only on pages already around positions 8-20.

They export the last 28 days from Search Console and start with 10 candidates: steady impressions, position between 8 and 20, and a clear match between the query and the page.

After scoring (intent, conversion value, and how close each page already is), they shortlist 5 URLs:

• /pricing (high intent, position around 11)
• /time-clock-app (position around 14, high impressions)
• /employee-scheduling-software (position around 9, strong fit)
• /shift-swap (position around 18, rising impressions)
• /overtime-calculator (position around 12, decent volume but lower sales impact)

They reject one tempting URL: /what-is-overtime. It sits around position 10 with lots of impressions, but it’s definition-only traffic. Trials rarely start there, so it would soak up authority without helping revenue.

They assign placements based on business value:

• /pricing: 2 high-authority backlinks
• /employee-scheduling-software: 1-2 high-authority backlinks
• /time-clock-app: 1 high-authority backlink

The remaining two pages stay in the queue.

Over the next 2-6 weeks they track: average position for the main queries, clicks from those queries, and trial starts attributed to each boosted page. If /pricing jumps from 11 to 6 but trials don’t increase, they check the snippet and on-page offer before buying more placements. If /time-clock-app doesn’t move after one placement, they pause and redirect the next link to a page that is responding.

Next steps: make it a monthly process (and keep link supply predictable)

This approach works best as a habit, not a one-time push. Keep one spreadsheet, one set of rules, and one monthly slot on your calendar so you compare results to a consistent baseline.

Start by deciding what you can support with links. If your monthly budget only covers a handful of strong placements, don’t spread them across 15 pages. Pick the pages that can realistically move and that matter to the business.

When you add a URL to your shortlist, write a short brief so you don’t guess later:

• The page goal (lead, trial, sale) and the query theme
• Baseline metrics (position range, impressions, clicks, conversions)
• Anchor approach (mostly natural, limited partial-match)
• A few supporting internal links you’ll add
• What success looks like after 30 days

If you want a more direct way to source placements, SEOBoosty (seoboosty.com) offers premium backlinks from authoritative sites via a curated inventory. Used well, it fits this exact workflow: pick a small set of pages already in striking distance, then point a few high-trust placements at those URLs and measure the lift.

Set one review date each month:

• Re-pull Search Console data for the last 28 days
• Remove URLs that broke into the top results or clearly stalled
• Add new 8-20 candidates and re-score them
• Reallocate links based on what’s converting now

Over a few months, you end up with a steady pipeline: fresh opportunities in, winners funded, and wasted backlinks cut early.