Ranking distribution
What is ranking distribution?
Ranking distribution is a breakdown of how many keywords a site or page ranks for in each band of positions, typically 1–3, 4–10, 11–20, 21–50 and 51–100. Instead of an average, it shows the shape of your visibility: how much sits at the top, how much on page one and how much is waiting just below it.
It is usually shown as a stacked bar or area chart over time. Watching the bands move tells you whether keywords are climbing from the back of the results towards the front, or slipping the other way.
Why ranking distribution matters for SEO
Averages hide progress. When a site starts ranking for hundreds of new keywords at positions 40 to 90, its average position gets worse, even though that is often the first sign that new content is being picked up. The distribution shows it plainly: the 51–100 band grows, and, months later, keywords move into 11–20 and 4–10.
The 4–20 bands are the most actionable. Keywords there are close enough to the top that better content, internal links or a stronger title can push them into the positions that earn most clicks. They are your striking distance keywords.
How to use a ranking distribution
- Compare this month’s distribution with three and six months ago to see which way keywords are moving.
- Export the keywords in the 4–10 and 11–20 bands and sort by search volume to find the biggest opportunities.
- Compare your distribution with a competitor’s. A competitor with far more keywords in 1–3 for the same topics has something worth studying.
Ranking distribution FAQ
What is a healthy ranking distribution?
There is no fixed shape, but a growing site usually shows keywords moving from the lower bands into 4–10 and 1–3 over time. Most sites have far more keywords ranking low than high.
Why do so many of my keywords rank below position 50?
Pages rank loosely for many related and long-tail queries. Those low rankings bring little traffic, but they show where Google sees you as relevant and where better content could help.
Related SEO terms
A keyword ranking is the position a page holds in search results for a given query, in a given place and on a given device.
Rank tracking is checking where your pages rank in search results for chosen keywords over time, by device and location, to measure SEO progress.
An SEO visibility score is a single number showing how visible a site is in search for a set of keywords, weighting rankings by expected clicks.
Striking distance keywords are queries a page ranks for just off the top spots, roughly positions 5-20, where small improvements can bring big gains.
Average position is the mean of your topmost ranking each time your site appeared in Google results, as reported in Search Console.