---
title: "Intent Data: Definition and Examples"
description: "Intent data is information about which companies or people are researching a topic or product right now, collected from online behavior such as content..."
path: /glossary/intent-data
family: glossary
updated: 2026-10-17
html: /glossary/intent-data
sources:
  - "https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/buyer-intent-data"
  - "https://knowledge.hubspot.com/reports/use-buyer-intent"
  - "https://knowledge.hubspot.com/data-management/buyer-intent-intent-signals-and-custom-signals-frequently-asked-questions"
facts:
  term: "Intent data"
  also_called: "buyer intent data, B2B intent data, purchase intent data, intent signals"
  category: "Data"
---

# Intent data

Intent data is information about which companies or people are researching a topic or product right now, collected from online behavior such as content reads, searches, review site visits and visits to your own website. Sales teams use it to time outreach.

## What Is Intent Data?

**In short:** Intent data comes in two forms.

First-party intent is behavior on your own properties: pricing page visits, demo requests, email clicks, product usage. Third-party intent is collected on websites you don't own, usually by matching visits to companies through IP addresses and spotting when a company reads more than usual about a topic.

Third-party intent works at the company level and is probabilistic. HubSpot's own documentation warns that unrelated visitors can share an IP address, and a spike in reading about a topic at a 500-person company could be one person's side project. Treat it as a way to rank accounts that already fit, not as proof that someone is buying.

## Intent Data Example

Example: a team has 2,000 accounts that fit its ICP. Intent data flags 140 that read far more than usual about its category this month. The SDRs contact those 140 first with a message about the problem they were researching, and work the other 1,860 on the normal schedule.

## Intent Data in Practice

Outbound teams use intent to decide who to contact first and to write a more relevant opening line. It works best on top of a fit filter: start from accounts that match your ideal customer profile, then move the ones showing a signal to the front of the queue.

## FAQ

### What is intent data?

Data that shows which companies or people are researching a topic, product or category, so you can reach them while they are looking. HubSpot splits it into first-party data you collect on your own properties and third-party data collected on sites you don't own.

### What is the difference between first-party and third-party intent data?

First-party intent comes from your own website, product and emails, such as pricing page visits or demo requests. Third-party intent is collected on other websites, usually at the company level. Ken's view: first-party signals are fewer but more reliable.

### How does intent data work?

Most third-party intent tools match website visits to companies through IP addresses, then compare how much a company reads about a topic with its usual level. A jump above that level is reported as a signal. HubSpot notes that this matching is probabilistic.

### Is intent data accurate?

It is a signal, not proof. Company-level matching misses remote workers, mixes up shared networks, and one curious employee can create a spike. Use it to rank accounts that already fit your ICP, not to choose accounts on its own.

### What are examples of intent signals?

Visits to your pricing page, demo requests, research on a topic across the web, and company news such as funding, executive hires or product launches.

## Do this in Ken

### Do This in Ken

Ken Search has no third-party intent data today. Build the list on company fit, which is free to search, and treat replies in Inbox as your first-party intent signal.

- Link: [Do This in Ken](/features#list-building)

## Related

- [GTM Glossary](/glossary): Every GTM term, grouped by topic.
- [Signal-based selling](/glossary/signal-based-selling)
- [Technographics](/glossary/technographics)
- [Firmographics](/glossary/firmographics)
- [Lead scoring](/glossary/lead-scoring)
- [Account-based marketing (ABM)](/glossary/account-based-marketing)
- [Ideal customer profile (ICP)](/glossary/ideal-customer-profile)
- [Ken](/features#list-building)

## Sources

| Source | URL | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HubSpot: Why prioritizing buyer intent data is a must | https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/buyer-intent-data | 2026-10-17 |
| HubSpot Knowledge Base: Use buyer intent to identify companies ready to buy | https://knowledge.hubspot.com/reports/use-buyer-intent | 2026-10-17 |
| HubSpot Knowledge Base: Buyer intent, intent signals and custom signals FAQ | https://knowledge.hubspot.com/data-management/buyer-intent-intent-signals-and-custom-signals-frequently-asked-questions | 2026-10-17 |

## Changelog

- 2026-10-17: Page published.