Your best content ideas are already sitting in Search Console. Instead of brainstorming topics from scratch, mine the queries you almost rank for, the impressions you earn with no clicks, and the gaps competitors fill. That turns "what should we write" from a guessing game into reading a list your own data hands you.
The blank-page approach to content planning wastes effort, because you end up writing what you find interesting instead of what searchers actually want from you. The data already knows. A few reports point straight at the pages that would pay off fastest, and I start there before I entertain a single idea that came from a hunch.
Mine striking-distance queries first
In the Search Console Performance report, filter to queries where your average position sits roughly between 8 and 20. These are terms Google already thinks you're relevant for but hasn't rewarded yet. A page that expands on a striking-distance query, or a dedicated page where you currently rank with a thin one, is the highest-probability content you can build, because you're improving a position that already exists rather than starting cold. This is where I always look first.
Find impressions with no clicks
Sort the same report for queries with high impressions and near-zero clicks. That pattern usually means one of two things: you're ranking too low to get clicked, or the page that ranks doesn't match what the searcher wanted. Both are content jobs. High impressions prove the demand is real and specific to you, so a page built to actually answer that query has a warm audience waiting, unlike a topic you picked on instinct with no evidence anyone's searching it.
Layer in the competitor gap and engagement data
Add two more inputs. A keyword gap report in Ahrefs or Semrush shows commercial terms competitors rank for and you don't, filling in demand your own data can't see yet. And GA4 engagement rate on existing pages tells you which topics already hold attention, so you can build more around what's working and stop pouring effort into a theme that readers bounce off. Together these turn one report into a ranked list.
A worked example
Planning a quarter for a dispensary, I skipped the brainstorm. Search Console showed "thc drink recipes" at position 12 with 3,000 monthly impressions and 20 clicks, a striking-distance term with obvious unmet demand. It also showed strong impressions and no clicks for several concentrate comparison queries the site had no page for. The keyword gap added five edible-dosage terms a competitor owned. GA4 showed their existing beverage content had the highest engagement on the site. The plan wrote itself: a proper THC-beverage guide, a concentrate comparison page, and a dosage explainer, every one backed by evidence of demand.
Let data propose, let judgment decide
The data hands you candidates; it doesn't set your priorities. Margin, seasonality, and what the shop actually wants to sell still shape the final order. A striking-distance term for a product you're discontinuing isn't worth building, no matter how good the position. Read the data as a strong shortlist, then apply what you know about the business that no report contains.
Key takeaways
- Start content planning in Search Console, not a blank page; your best ideas are queries you already almost rank for.
- Striking-distance terms (position 8 to 20) are the highest-probability builds because you're improving an existing position.
- High-impression, no-click queries prove real demand that current pages fail to serve, an obvious content job.
- Layer in a competitor keyword gap and GA4 engagement, then let business judgment set the final priority.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find content ideas in Search Console?
Filter the Performance report for striking-distance queries, terms where your average position is roughly 8 to 20, and separately for queries with high impressions but almost no clicks. The first set are pages you can push onto page one; the second are proven demand your current content fails to serve.
What is a striking-distance keyword?
A query where you already rank around positions 8 to 20, close enough that Google considers you relevant but not high enough to earn clicks. Building or strengthening a page for it is high-probability content, because you're improving a position that already exists rather than competing from zero.
Should data alone decide what content to build?
No. Data gives you a strong shortlist of candidates with proven demand, but margin, seasonality, and what the business actually wants to sell set the final order. A striking-distance term for a product you're phasing out isn't worth building despite the position, so judgment still decides.
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