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How do I use the Exclude Companies 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: 2026-01-20



TL;DR

  • The Exclude Companies filter removes specific company domains from your search results.

  • Excluded companies will never appear, even if they match all other filters.

  • Only paste domains (e.g. company.com) — no headers, URLs, or labels.

  • This filter is essential for avoiding clients, competitors, duplicates, and bad-fit accounts.



When you’d use this / Why it matters

Use the Exclude Companies filter when there are businesses you should never contact again.

It protects your brand, prevents awkward outreach, and keeps your prospecting lists clean and intentional.



Step-by-step: How to use the Exclude Companies filter

  1. Go to Search → Filters in ListKit.

  2. Locate the Exclude Companies filter.

  3. Paste company domains only, either:

    • One per line, or

    • Comma-separated

  4. Apply the rest of your search filters as normal.

  5. Run your search.

Once excluded, those companies will never appear in results, even if they match every other filter.



Correct vs incorrect input (important)

✅ Correct

nike.com apple.com tesla.com

❌ Incorrect

URL Website nike.com apple.com


🚨 Important:
Do not paste headers like “URL” or “Website.” ListKit will attempt to match them as domains, which can distort your results.



What the Exclude Companies filter removes

Common use cases include excluding:

  • Current clients

  • Past clients

  • Companies already contacted

  • “Not interested” responses

  • CRM accounts

  • Partners or vendors

  • Competitors

  • Internal or test accounts

  • Old or recycled lead lists

If a company domain is excluded, it is fully blocked from future searches.



Example use cases

Example 1: Prevent contacting existing clients

You paste all active client domains into Exclude Companies.

Result:

  • ✅ Clients never appear in new lists

  • ✅ No awkward outreach

  • ✅ Brand protection



Example 2: Run multi-round searches without duplicates

  • Search #1 → collect 300 companies

  • Search #2 → exclude those 300 domains

Result:

  • ✅ Zero overlap

  • ✅ Fresh prospects only



Example 3: Remove known bad-fit companies

You exclude domains that consistently convert poorly or are out of scope.

Result:

  • ✅ Cleaner targeting

  • ✅ Fewer wasted credits



Expected outcome

You should now see search results that never include excluded companies, no matter what other filters you apply.



Troubleshooting / FAQs

Q: Does Exclude Companies override other filters?
Yes. If a domain is excluded, it will never appear, even if it matches industry, job title, funding, or keywords.

Q: Can I exclude companies after running a search?
You must add them to the filter and rerun the search.

Q: Should I reuse the same exclude list?
Yes. Many teams keep a master exclude list and paste it into every new search.

Q: Can I use Include Companies and Exclude Companies together?
Yes. Include defines who you want; Exclude defines who you never want. Exclude always wins.



Callouts

If ListKit runs campaigns for you (Managed Program)
What ListKit handles:

  • Applying exclusion logic across all outbound searches

  • Ensuring client, competitor, and DNC domains are blocked

What you should do:

  • Provide an up-to-date list of domains to exclude

How to request changes:

  • Submit updates via your account manager or support channel



If you use ListKit self-serve (DIY)
Steps in the product:

  • Search → Filters → Exclude Companies

  • Paste domains only

  • Save or reuse your exclude list across searches



Final takeaway

The Exclude Companies filter is a critical safeguard in every high-performing outbound workflow.

Paste the domains you don’t want.
ListKit removes them, permanently.

Just remember: domains only. No labels. No headers.

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