How to Actually Use HubSpot Buyer Intent in 2026
You have anonymous visitors on your website right now. They're checking your pricing page. Reading case studies. Comparing features.
And you have companies researching your solutions before they even visit your site.
HubSpot's Buyer Intent tool shows you both. If you have access to it and aren't using it yet, here's how to turn anonymous traffic and research signals into real conversations in 2026.
What Buyer Intent Actually Does
Buyer Intent has two powerful components: the Visitors tab and the Research tab.
The Visitors tab connects anonymous website visitors to known company IP addresses. When someone from a company visits your site, HubSpot identifies the company - even if that person never fills out a form.
The Research tab identifies companies researching topics related to your solutions - even before they visit your website. This is powered by HubSpot's proprietary intent ecosystem of 200,000+ websites with HubSpot tracking code installed.
You see which companies are visiting your site, which pages they're viewing, what topics they're researching, and how actively they're looking for solutions like yours.
The reality: Most companies that visit your website never convert on forms. Many research solutions without ever visiting vendor sites. They compare options and make decisions without ever identifying themselves. Buyer Intent shows you who's in that research phase.
Why This Matters More in 2026
Remember the zero-click world? Prospects do extensive research before ever contacting vendors. They're reading comparison articles, searching for solutions, and coming to your website already educated with specific questions.
Buyer Intent lets you identify these high-intent prospects before they reach out - or even if they never visit your site at all. You can be proactive instead of reactive.
How Research Intent Actually Works
HubSpot's research intent ecosystem includes 200,000+ websites that have opted into intent data access. When a company visits any site in this ecosystem, HubSpot:
Identifies the company using reverse-IP technology
Matches that company to topics assigned to the website they visited
Tracks their research activity over time
Example: If someone from WidgetCo visits hubspot.com, HubSpot identifies WidgetCo and tags them as researching "CRM" topics. If you've set up "CRM" as a research topic, WidgetCo appears in your research intent results.
Research levels show how actively companies are researching:
High: Over 160% increase in research activity month-over-month
Moderate: 111-160% increase
Mild: 85-110% increase
Low: Under 85% increase
Setting Up Buyer Intent That Actually Works
Step 1: Define Your Target Markets
Don't just turn Buyer Intent on and watch every company that visits your site or researches your topics. That's overwhelming and unhelpful.
Instead, set up target markets based on:
Industries you actually serve
Company size that fits your solution
Geographic location where you can deliver
Revenue range that indicates buying power
Example: If you sell B2B SaaS to manufacturing companies with 50-500 employees in North America, define that as a target market. Now Buyer Intent will flag only companies that match.
Step 2: Set Up Research Topics
Add keywords and phrases your target audience searches for when looking for solutions like yours. Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to identify relevant topics.
Examples:
"Best CRM for small business"
"Marketing automation comparison"
"Project management software for agencies"
"HubSpot alternatives"
HubSpot tracks companies researching these topics across their entire ecosystem.
Step 3: Set Visitor Intent Criteria
Define what "showing intent" actually means for your business based on website behavior:
Visiting your pricing page
Viewing multiple product pages in one session
Returning to your site multiple times in 30 days
Spending time on comparison or case study pages
The key: Don't set the bar too low. A single blog post view isn't intent. Multiple visits to decision-stage pages is.
Step 4: Create Saved Views
Set up saved views for different scenarios:
High research activity companies in your target market
Target market companies visiting pricing pages
Companies researching your topics AND visiting your site
Repeat visitors from your ideal customer profile
Check these views weekly. Make it a routine.
How Sales Can Use Both Research and Visitor Intent
The two-pronged approach:
Early-stage outreach (Research Intent): Companies showing high research activity on your topics but haven't visited your site yet. These are earlier in their journey.
Hot leads (Visitor Intent): Companies that have visited your website, especially multiple times or on decision-stage pages. These are further along.
Weekly routine for SDRs:
Review Research tab for companies showing high research activity
Review Visitors tab for companies on your site this week
Prioritize companies appearing in both tabs (researching AND visiting)
Add qualifying companies to your CRM
Find decision-makers at those companies on LinkedIn
Tailor outreach based on their stage:
Research only: "I noticed your team has been researching [topic]..."
Visitor only: "Saw you were checking out our [specific page]..."
Both: "Your team seems to be actively evaluating [solution type]..."
The advantage: You're not interrupting. You're continuing a conversation they started through their research behavior.
Pro tip: Use tools like Apollo or LinkedIn Sales Navigator to find the right contacts at these companies. Buyer Intent tells you which companies are interested. You still need to find the actual people.
How Marketing Can Use Research and Visitor Intent
Create ABM campaigns that target companies at different research stages.
Campaign ideas by intent type:
Research Intent (Early Stage):
Educational content campaigns about the problem space
Thought leadership ads on LinkedIn
Retargeting with awareness content
Webinars on industry challenges
Visitor Intent (Later Stage):
Retargeting ads with product benefits
Case studies from similar companies
Demo or trial offers
Pricing page follow-up sequences
Both (Hot Accounts):
Personalized sales outreach
High-touch ABM campaigns
Executive-level content
Direct mail or gifts
Example workflow:
Company from target market shows high research activity on "marketing automation" topic
Add to "Early Research - Marketing Automation" list
Serve educational LinkedIn ads about marketing efficiency
If they visit your website pricing page, move to "Active Evaluation" list
Notify assigned sales rep
Send personalized email referencing both their research and site visit
The goal: Meet companies where they are in their research journey.
Integration Strategies That Work
Research Intent + Visitor Intent:
Prioritize companies showing both research activity and website visits
Create different nurture paths based on intent type
Score leads higher when both signals are present
Buyer Intent + Workflows:
Auto-add high-intent companies to targeted lists
Trigger sales notifications when key accounts show intent
Enroll in stage-appropriate nurture campaigns
Buyer Intent + Lead Scoring:
Add points when target market companies research your topics
Multiply scores for high research levels
Add significant points for website visits to decision-stage pages
Buyer Intent + ABM:
Build account lists based on both research and visitor signals
Personalize content for companies at different stages
Coordinate sales and marketing around active accounts
What Buyer Intent Can't Do (Yet)
Important limitations:
Research intent limited to HubSpot's ecosystem of 200,000+ sites
Visitor intent only tracks website visits (not ad interactions)
Requires accurate IP address data (VPNs can interfere)
Shows companies, not specific individuals
Can only see 1,000 companies per view (adjust filters to see more)
Needs your HubSpot tracking code installed for visitor intent
The workaround: Combine Buyer Intent with other tools. Use it to identify companies, then use LinkedIn or data enrichment tools to find the actual decision-makers.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Setting research topics too broadly: "Marketing" is too vague. "Marketing automation for B2B SaaS" is better.
Ignoring research levels: Companies with high research activity are hotter leads than mild activity. Prioritize accordingly.
Only watching one tab: Research intent catches early-stage prospects. Visitor intent catches late-stage. Use both.
Checking once a month: Research and visitor patterns change weekly. Make reviews a weekly routine.
Not following up quickly: Companies showing high intent this week might choose a competitor next week. Speed matters.
Reaching out to everyone: Just because a company researched or visited doesn't mean they're qualified. Still check if they match your ICP.
Real Use Case: B2B SaaS Company
Setup:
Target market: SaaS companies, 50-500 employees, North America
Research topics: "CRM integration," "API management," "data synchronization"
Visitor intent: 2+ visits to pricing or API documentation in 30 days
Weekly review: Sales team checks both tabs every Monday
Process:
SDR reviews Research tab for companies showing high activity
Reviews Visitor tab for website visitors
Prioritizes companies appearing in both tabs
Researches companies on LinkedIn to find CTOs or Engineering VPs
Tailors outreach based on signals:
Research only: Share technical content, invite to webinar
Visitor only: Reference specific pages viewed, offer demo
Both: Direct sales outreach with personalized demo offer
Marketing runs coordinated LinkedIn campaigns to these accounts
Results: 45% of their pipeline now originates from Buyer Intent identification, with companies showing both research and visitor signals converting 3x higher than single-signal leads.
Getting Started This Week
Day 1: Define your target market criteria in Buyer Intent
Day 2: Set up research topics using keyword research tools
Day 3: Configure visitor intent criteria based on your decision-stage pages
Day 4: Create saved views for both Research and Visitor tabs
Day 5: Review current high-intent companies in both tabs
Day 6: Add qualifying companies to CRM and start research
Week 2: Build your first workflow or campaign using both research and visitor intent data
The Bottom Line
Anonymous website visitors are researching you right now. And companies are researching solutions like yours before they even find your website.
Buyer Intent's Research and Visitor tabs give you visibility into both behaviors - who they are, what they care about, and how serious they are about finding a solution.
Use research intent for early-stage awareness and education. Use visitor intent for late-stage sales activation. Use both together to identify your hottest prospects.
The data is there - it's worth exploring what you can do with it.