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How do I use the Keyword Filter in ListKit’s B2B Search?

Said Jrad avatar
Written by Said Jrad
Updated this week

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR: ✅ Self-Serve
​Stage: Trial / Onboarding / Live
​Owner: CS
​Last updated: 2025-12-19
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TL;DR

  • The Keyword Filter is the most precise way to define your ICP.

  • It scans real company data for the exact language companies use to describe themselves.

  • Use short, specific keywords (1–2 words).

  • Combine Include + Exclude keywords and AND / OR groups for clean, high-intent lists.
    ​


When you’d use this / Why it matters

Industry filters are useful, but they’re broad.
The Keyword Filter lets you go deeper by targeting companies based on how they actually describe their business, which consistently produces the highest-quality lead lists.

If you want precision, this filter should be the starting point for almost every search.
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Why the Keyword Filter matters

Industries can be vague.
Keywords are specific.

ListKit scans real company data to find businesses that literally use your keywords in their descriptions.

The Keyword Filter searches inside:

  • Social Headline (LinkedIn tagline / about snippet)

  • Social Slug (LinkedIn URL or username)

  • Company Description (long-form bio)

  • Website Title (homepage title text)

If your keyword appears in any of these fields, the company qualifies.

This is why keyword targeting produces the cleanest and highest-intent lists.
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How the Keyword Filter works

  1. You enter keywords

  2. ListKit scans the four data fields above

  3. If a keyword appears, the company is returned

You can also exclude keywords to remove irrelevant companies.
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How to choose the right keywords

Best practices

Keep keywords:

  • Simple

  • Specific

  • 1–2 words only

Good keyword examples

  • solar

  • real estate

  • fintech

  • dental clinic

  • marketing agency

  • software development

Avoid

  • Full sentences

    • ❌ “companies that help brands grow online”

  • Generic terms

    • ❌ business, solutions, global

The goal is to match the language companies use about themselves.
​


Include vs Exclude keywords

Using both gives you precise control over list quality.

Include keywords

Define who you want.

Example:

  • Include: roofing → finds roofing companies

Exclude keywords

Remove noise.

Example:

  • Exclude: school, non-profit, government

This prevents irrelevant results from polluting your list.
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Using keyword groups (AND / OR logic)

Keyword Groups let you target complex or multi-dimensional niches.
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Example 1: Textile manufacturing

Group 1:

  • textile

  • clothing

  • fashion

Group 2:

  • manufacturing

  • production

Logic:
(textile OR clothing OR fashion)
AND
(manufacturing OR production)

Result:
Only textile manufacturing companies.
​


Example 2: Dental software

Group 1:

  • dental

  • dentist

  • orthodontic

Group 2:

  • software

  • platform

  • SaaS

  • CRM

Logic:
(dental OR dentist OR orthodontic)
AND
(software OR SaaS OR CRM)

Result:
Software companies built specifically for dental practices.
​


Example 3: E-commerce marketing agencies

Group 1:

  • e-commerce

  • shopify

  • online store

Group 2:

  • marketing

  • ads

  • growth

  • performance

Logic:
(e-commerce OR shopify OR online store)
AND
(marketing OR ads)

Result:
Agencies focused on e-commerce growth.
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Pro tips for best results

  • Use 1–2 word keywords only

  • Start broad, then refine

  • Always combine Keywords with:

    • Industry

    • Company Size

    • Funding

  • Use Exclude Keywords aggressively to remove noise

  • For complex niches, always use AND / OR keyword groups
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Example workflow

  1. Add 2–3 niche-defining keywords under Include

  2. Open Data Visualization to review dominant industries

  3. Add relevant industries to the Industry Filter

  4. Layer with:

    • Funding

    • Company Size

    • Job Titles
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Managed vs Self-Serve callouts

If ListKit runs campaigns for you (Managed Program)
We use keywords as the foundation of ICP targeting and refine them continuously based on reply data. You don’t need to configure this manually, just define your audience and exclusions.
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​If you use ListKit self-serve (DIY)
Go to Search → Keywords, add Include and Exclude keywords, then layer Industry, Company Size, and Job Titles before exporting.
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Expected outcome

You should now be able to:

  • Define your ICP using real company language

  • Build tighter, higher-intent lead lists

  • Remove irrelevant companies with confidence

  • Use AND / OR logic for complex targeting
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Final takeaway

Keywords are the core of your targeting strategy.
​

They tell ListKit exactly what kind of companies to surface, based on the language those companies use themselves, not vague industry labels.

Use keywords first, refine with other filters second, and your list quality will improve dramatically.

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