Complete Guide

The Complete Guide to Buyer Intent Data

Identify in-market accounts before your competitors do

Buyer intent data reveals which companies are actively researching solutions like yours—often before they ever contact you. By understanding intent signals, sales and marketing teams can prioritize outreach, personalize messaging, and engage prospects at the perfect moment in their buying journey.

In This Guide

What is Buyer Intent Data?

Buyer intent data is information indicating that a company or individual is actively researching a particular topic, product category, or solution. It's derived from online behavior patterns that suggest purchase consideration.

Content consumption patterns across the web
Search behavior and keyword activity
Review site research and comparison activity
Website visits and engagement depth
Social media signals and engagement

Types of Intent Data

Intent data comes from multiple sources, each with different strengths and use cases.

First-party intent: Data from your own website and properties (highest quality)
Second-party intent: Shared data from partners and publishers
Third-party intent: Aggregated from content networks and co-ops
Review intent: Activity on G2, TrustRadius, Capterra
Search intent: Keywords and search patterns

First-Party vs Third-Party Intent

The most valuable intent signal is first-party—someone is on YOUR website. Third-party shows broader market interest but is less specific.

First-party: 'Sarah from Acme viewed your pricing page 3 times'
Third-party: 'Acme is researching visitor identification software'
First-party enables immediate, personalized action
Third-party helps with earlier awareness and prioritization
Combining both provides complete buyer journey visibility

Using Intent Data Effectively

Intent data is only valuable if you act on it. Here's how leading teams operationalize intent signals.

Prioritize outreach to accounts showing high intent
Personalize messaging based on topics being researched
Time engagement when intent signals are fresh
Route high-intent leads to sales immediately
Trigger advertising campaigns for in-market accounts
Score leads based on intent signals for better qualification

Intent Data Providers

Multiple vendors offer intent data with different approaches and coverage.

Bombora: B2B intent co-op with broad content coverage
6sense: AI-powered intent with anonymous visitor identification
G2: Intent from software review and comparison activity
TrustRadius: B2B buyer intent from review research
Bullseye: First-party intent from identified website visitors

Related Comparisons:

6sense Demandbase Clearbit Leadfeeder

Website Visitors: Your Best Intent Signal

While third-party intent is valuable, nothing beats first-party website visits. Someone on your pricing page is showing stronger intent than someone reading a general industry article.

Website visits indicate active interest in YOUR solution
Page-level behavior shows specific interests and concerns
Real-time signals enable immediate engagement
Person-level data allows direct outreach
Combine with third-party for complete visibility

Frequently Asked Questions

What is buyer intent data?

Buyer intent data is information indicating that a company or individual is actively researching a topic, product, or solution. It's derived from online behaviors like content consumption, search activity, and website visits that suggest purchase consideration.

What's the difference between first-party and third-party intent data?

First-party intent comes from your own properties (primarily your website) and shows who's actively engaging with YOUR brand. Third-party intent is aggregated from across the web and shows broader research activity in your category. First-party is more specific; third-party has broader coverage.

How accurate is intent data?

Accuracy varies significantly by source. First-party intent (website visits) is highly accurate—you know exactly who visited what. Third-party intent involves inference and has variable accuracy depending on methodology. Always validate with your own data.

How do I act on intent data?

Use intent data to prioritize accounts for outreach, personalize messaging based on topics researched, time engagement when signals are fresh, and score leads for qualification. The key is speed—intent signals decay quickly.