Intent data tells you who is researching what you sell before they contact anyone. For a service business, that means reaching homeowners comparing roofers, shoppers looking at trucks or people reading about estate planning while they’re still deciding, not after they’ve already hired someone. This guide explains what intent data is, where it comes from and how to use it.
Key Takeaways
- Intent data is a record of research behavior that suggests someone is in the market for a product or service.
- First-party intent comes from your own website; third-party intent comes from activity across the web.
- It works best paired with a tight geography and a clear offer.
- Intent signals point to likely buyers, not guaranteed ones. Test, measure and refine.
What is intent data?
Intent data is information about online behavior that suggests a person or company is in the market for something. Reading several articles about roof replacement, comparing HVAC brands or visiting pages about personal injury claims are all intent signals. Taken together, they suggest someone is getting closer to a purchase.
Traditional targeting is based on who someone is: their age, income, location or job title. Intent targeting is based on what they’re doing right now. A homeowner who fits your profile but isn’t thinking about a new roof is a poor prospect this month. A homeowner who has read five roofing articles this week is a good one.
The types of intent data
First-party intent
First-party intent comes from your own properties: your website, your emails and your ads. Pages viewed, return visits, time on your pricing page and form starts are all first-party signals. Combined with website visitor identification, first-party intent tells you exactly which identified visitors are closest to buying.
Third-party intent
Third-party intent comes from activity across other websites, gathered by data providers and matched to people or companies. It tells you who is researching your category even if they’ve never been to your site. This is how you reach buyers before they find your competitors.
B2B vs. consumer intent
Most intent data products were built for B2B sales teams and report which companies are researching a topic. Service businesses that sell to individuals need consumer-level intent, tied to people and households. Make sure the data you buy matches who your customers are.
How intent data is collected
Providers collect browsing and engagement signals from networks of websites, publishers and data partners, group the content into topics, and look for spikes: a person or company consuming more content on a topic than usual. Those signals are matched to contact records and scored.
The quality depends on the sources, how often the data refreshes and how carefully records are verified. Ask any provider how its data is sourced, whether it’s consent-based and how often it’s updated. Stale intent is close to worthless, because people who were shopping last quarter may have already bought.
How a service business can use intent data
Build in-market audiences
Pick the topics tied to what you sell (“roof replacement,” “furnace repair,” “used trucks,” “estate planning attorney”), filter to your service area and refresh the list weekly. That gives you a short list of people actively researching your service near you.
Reach them on more than one channel
- Email outreach with a relevant offer, following CAN-SPAM rules
- Ad audiences uploaded to Meta, Google and LinkedIn, so your ads reach in-market buyers instead of a broad demographic
- Direct mail for high-value services where a physical piece stands out
- Calls and texts only where you have the consent the TCPA requires
Prioritize your own pipeline
Layer intent on top of your existing leads and past customers. A past customer researching your category again is one of the best leads you’ll get.
Pair it with your website data
Third-party intent finds people before they visit. Visitor identification catches them when they do. Together they cover the full research process.
Where intent data goes wrong
- Too broad. A national list of people interested in “home improvement” won’t help a remodeler in one county. Narrow the topics and the geography.
- Too slow. Weekly or better refreshes matter. Monthly lists go stale.
- No offer. Reaching the right person with a generic “we do roofs” message wastes the signal. Lead with something worth responding to.
- No measurement. Track responses, appointments and closed revenue from each audience, then cut the topics that don’t produce.
- Ignoring the rules. Outreach still has to follow CAN-SPAM, the TCPA and state privacy laws. See is website visitor identification legal?
FAQ
Is intent data accurate?
It’s directional. Intent signals raise the odds that someone is in the market; they don’t guarantee it. Quality varies by provider, so test with a small audience and measure response before you scale.
How is intent data different from website visitor identification?
Visitor identification tells you who visited your own website. Third-party intent data tells you who is researching your category anywhere on the web, including people who haven’t found you yet.
Is intent data only for B2B companies?
No. Many products are B2B-focused, but consumer intent data exists and fits home services, auto dealers, law firms and other businesses that sell to individuals.
Conclusion
Intent data shifts your marketing from who might buy someday to who is shopping now. Keep the topics narrow, the geography tight and the refresh frequent, lead with a real offer and measure everything back to revenue. Ronin builds custom intent audiences for service businesses as part of its website visitor identification and intent data service. You can start with a free 14-day visitor identification trial at ronincomms.com/data-as-a-service.
About the author
Justin Smith is the founder of Ronin Communications, a fractional CMO practice for owner-led businesses. He spent more than 20 years writing and leading strategic communications for the federal government and holds an M.A. in Strategic Communications from American University.