Striking Distance Keywords Skill
Your agent finds the queries sitting on page 2, sizes each one from your site's own click curve, and says the exact change that could move it to page 1.
- Positions 11 to 20 from your own data
- Upside sized from your site's own CTR curve
- One specific change per query
Skill
seomatic-striking-distance v1.0.0
Needs
SEOmatic's MCP server (free account)
Works In
Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Grok Bot and any agent that reads Agent Skills
Source
SKILL.md on GitHub, MIT license
Last Checked
October 2026
Inside the Striking Distance Keywords Skill
The Short Answer
The SEOmatic striking distance skill teaches an AI agent to find the queries your site ranks for in positions 11 to 20, with at least 10 impressions, from your real Google Search Console data. It sizes each opportunity with your site's own click-through curve rather than an industry average, reads the page to find the specific gap, and separates pages that need a better title from pages that need more content. On a paid plan SEOmatic stages the fix in your CMS, and nothing goes live until you click approve.
What You Get
Ten ranked opportunities, not a dump of rows. Each one has the query, the page, its current position, an honest range of extra monthly clicks, and the one change to make, such as leading the title with the phrasing people actually search.
Ask Your Agent
Once the skill is installed, ask in your own words. For example:
- "Which of my pages are closest to page 1?"
- "Find my quick SEO wins for this month."
- "Which keywords on page 2 are worth pushing, and how?"
How the Skill Works
- Pull the candidate set
- Size the upside, honestly
- Separate the two failure modes
- Read the actual pages
- Present a shortlist, not a dump
Every number comes from a tool result with its exact date range. The skill never estimates a figure it could read.
Tools It Uses
| Tool | What it reads or does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
gsc_performance | Search Console Performance | Free |
gsc_insights | Search Console Insights | Free |
serp_competitors | SERP & Competitors | Free questions or AI credits |
site_pages | Site & Page Analysis | Free |
backlink_profile | Backlink Profile | Free questions or AI credits |
task_manage | SEO Tasks | Free to stage; paid plan, your approval |
All from SEOmatic's MCP server. Parameters and full cost rules: MCP tool reference.
Install the Skill
One command installs it in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and other agents that read Agent Skills. Then connect SEOmatic's MCP server at https://app.seomatic.ai/api/mcp and sign in (free, no card). In Claude on the web or desktop, upload the skill folder as a zip under Settings, Capabilities, Skills. Setup for every agent: AI assistants.
npx skills add Minh42/seomatic-mcp --full-depth --skill seomatic-striking-distanceNothing Goes Live Without You
By default, nothing changes on your site until you approve it. A fix is staged as a proposal that says what will change and why. Approved fixes run within seconds, the page's previous state is stored, and any edit to an existing page can be rolled back. A rollback refuses to overwrite edits someone made since. Changes that could take a page out of Google, like a noindex, need an extra confirmation.
Run It on a Schedule
This skill is part of the Quick Wins Hunter and the SEO Teammate Grok Bot templates, which run it on a schedule and only speak when something changed. All templates: SEO skills and templates.
More SEO Skills
Frequently Asked Questions
What are striking distance keywords?
Queries your site already ranks for just off page 1, usually positions 11 to 20. Google has shown it will rank the page for them, so one good edit often moves them onto page 1, which is where most clicks are.
Why not use an industry CTR curve?
Click-through rates differ widely by brand strength, search features and industry. The skill uses your own site's curve from Search Console, so the estimate is about your site, and it gives a range rather than a single number.
Is the Striking Distance Keywords skill free?
The skill is free and open source (MIT). Connecting is free with no card. Search Console reports, page checks and 30-page site audits are free, as often as you like. Live market data (keyword volumes, competitors, backlinks) uses free questions: 5 a month, plus a one-time 10 when you connect Search Console, and one question covers up to 5 lookups. Staging and publishing fixes is part of paid plans, which start with a 14-day trial.
Which AI agents can use it?
Any agent that reads Agent Skills (SKILL.md): Claude Code, Claude on the web and desktop, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Kiro, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Grok Bot and more. It installs with one command: npx skills add.
Do I need SEOmatic's MCP server?
Yes. The skill tells your agent how to do the job; SEOmatic's MCP server gives it your real data and the tools. Connecting is free: add https://app.seomatic.ai/api/mcp to your agent and sign in.