Overview
This guide walks you through the detailed, step-by-step process of building high-converting B2B lead lists using Listkit’s B2B Search feature. Whether you’re targeting SMBs, mid-market, or enterprise clients, this method gives you complete control over segmentation, targeting, and data quality.
The core steps include:
Start with Keywords
Select Location
Filter by Company Size
Choose Job Titles
Narrow by Industry
Advanced Filters and Final Tips
Step 1: Start With Keywords
Keywords are the foundation of a strong B2B search. They give you direct control over the type of companies you're pulling in — without relying on broad or inaccurate industry tags.
What Are Keywords?
In Listkit, keywords match terms found in:
Company websites
Meta descriptions
LinkedIn headlines
Page content and bios
These are the words companies use to describe themselves — which makes them one of the most accurate ways to filter for relevance.
Why Start With Keywords?
Industry filters are often too broad or miscategorized. For example, an HVAC company might be listed under:
Construction
Building Maintenance
Engineering
…or something completely irrelevant. Keywords let you bypass that noise and target companies based on how they actually describe themselves.
The More (Relevant) Keywords, the Better
The more relevant keywords you include, the more qualified leads you’ll unlock — but they must be niche-specific.
Avoid general words like:
services
solutions
installation
Instead, go for hyper-specific terms that are only used in that niche.
Use ChatGPT to Generate Keywords
If you’re not sure which keywords to use, you can prompt ChatGPT like this:
"Give me 30 keywords targeting [insert niche]. Make it max 2 words, comma separated, and relevant only to this niche."
Why Comma-Separated?
Because you can paste the entire list directly into Listkit’s keyword input. No need to enter them one by one.
Example: HVAC Keywords (ChatGPT Generated)
HVAC, ductwork, heatpump, airhandler, condensers, refrigerant, blowermotor, airbalancing, chillerunits, rooftopunits, minisplits, economizers, coilsystem, airflowdesign, zoningcontrol, furnaceinstall, systemretrofit, loadcalculation, hvaccontrols, compressorunit, filterchange, thermostatsetup, ventilationdesign, acrepair, ductsealing, heatingcycle, coolingload, refrigerantleak, hvactuning, damperadjustment
Pro Tips:
Start with 5–10 keywords, then expand if needed
Review your top 5 dream customers and extract keywords from their websites and LinkedIn pages
Avoid overly generic words that could pull in unrelated companies
Step 2: Select the Country (Use Company Filter Only)
Once you’ve added keywords, the next step is to narrow your list by location.
Important: You’ll see a country filter under both Companies and People.
Always use the one under Companies.
Why?
It filters by where the company is headquartered and operates
Most companies have a country tagged in the database
Many contacts do not
Someone might work for a U.S. company but live in the U.K. — you'd miss them if you filter by contact location
What If You’re Targeting Multiple Regions?
You can select more than one country (e.g., US + UK + Canada). Just make sure you're always filtering under the Company tab.
Step 3: Add Company Size
Company size is one of the most important filters for lead quality. It helps you focus your outreach on businesses that match your offer’s scope.
Use Employee Count — Not Revenue
Employee count is public and more accurate
Revenue is private and often outdated or estimated
Suggested Employee Brackets:
If you're targeting SMBs:
1–10 employees
11–50 employees
51–200 employees
If you’re targeting mid-market or enterprise:
201–500
501–1000
1000+
Pro Tip: Start narrow. Launch your campaign. Then refine based on results (who replies, who books).
Step 4: Choose the Right Job Titles
Now it’s time to select who inside those companies you want to target.
Start by thinking about: Who owns the problem that your offer solves?
Executive-Level Decision Makers (Always Good to Include):
CEO
Founder
Owner
President
Managing Director
Partner
Chairman
COO
Director of Operations
General Manager
Functional Decision Makers by Offer Type:
Marketing & Growth Services (e.g., Paid Ads, Email, SEO)
Marketing Manager
VP of Marketing
Head of Marketing
CMO
Growth Marketing Manager
Head of Growth
Performance Marketing Lead
Sales Services (e.g., Cold Email, Sales Training, CRM)
VP of Sales
Sales Manager
SDR Manager
Sales Enablement Lead
CRO (Chief Revenue Officer)
Operations & Automation (e.g., Systems, SOPs, AI Tools)
Director of Operations
Business Operations Manager
Program Manager
COO
Web Design & Product Services
Head of Product
Product Marketing Manager
Creative Director
Founder (SMB)
Finance, Bookkeeping, CFO Services
CFO
Controller
Finance Manager
Procurement Manager
IT & Security Services
CTO
VP of Engineering
IT Manager
DevOps Lead
Security Analyst
HR & Recruiting
Head of People
VP of HR
Talent Acquisition Lead
HR Manager
Healthcare & Local Clinics
Clinic Owner
Office Manager
Practice Manager
Medical Director
Construction & Home Services
Owner
Managing Director
Project Manager
Field Services Lead
Pro Tip: Always pair executives with functional decision-makers for best results.
Step 5: Narrow by Industry
By now you’ve filtered by:
Keywords
Country
Company size
Job titles
Now you need to clean up the industry to ensure you're not pulling irrelevant results.
The Problem:
Let’s say your keyword is “HVAC.” You’ll likely pull companies that say things like:
“We help HVAC companies with marketing”
“Accounting firm for HVAC businesses”
These aren’t HVAC companies. They just serve them.
The Fix: Use the Industry Filter
Use Data Visualization in Listkit to help:
Run your initial keyword search
Click on Data Visualization
Look for the Top Industries section
Hover over industries that don’t make sense (e.g., “Advertising Services”) and click the minus icon to exclude
Note the relevant industries and manually enter them in the Industry filter under Companies
HVAC Example – Relevant Industries:
Construction
Consumer Services
Facilities Services
HVAC & Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing
Environmental Services
Pro Tip: Don’t try to exclude everything — just pick 5–10 relevant industries and enter them manually.
Step 6: Advanced Filters and Final Tips
Once you've followed the core 5 steps, you’ve got a solid list. But here are optional filters that can take it to the next level.
Technology Filter
Use this when your offer depends on the company using a specific tool or platform:
Example: You offer Shopify optimization — filter for companies using Shopify
Example: You do HubSpot setups — filter for companies using HubSpot
Funding Filter
Want to target companies with fresh capital or high growth potential?
Use the funding filter to find startups and recently funded companies
Great for SaaS, tech, and service providers selling to funded teams
Include / Exclude Domains
If you have a list of:
Companies you’ve already reached out to → Exclude
Dream clients you want to prioritize → Include
You can paste those domains directly into the respective filters for cleaner targeting.
Final Checklist Before Checkout
Review the list manually to ensure quality
Save your filters so you can reuse or edit later
Proceed to checkout or sync directly to your outbound system
Need Inspiration?
Check out this live HVAC filter example:
By following this framework, you’ll consistently build segmented, accurate, and high-converting lead lists that actually generate results.