What Is Buyer Intent Data?

Types of Intent Signals

Not all intent signals carry the same weight. They range from weak indicators of early research to strong signals of imminent purchase:

• Search queries — someone Googling "[Product] vs [Competitor]" or "[Tool] pricing" is much closer to buying than someone searching "what is project management"
• Content consumption — reading comparison pages, case studies, or pricing pages signals evaluation-stage behavior
• Competitor research — visiting alternative pages or competitor review sites indicates an active buying process
• Product engagement — signing up for a free trial, requesting a demo, or returning to a product page multiple times

First-Party vs Third-Party Intent Data

First-party intent data comes from your own properties — your website analytics, CRM, product usage data, and email engagement. It's the most reliable because you're observing behavior directly. When someone visits your pricing page three times in a week, that's a strong first-party signal.

Third-party intent data comes from external providers who aggregate behavior across the web — tracking which companies are researching topics related to your product category. It's useful for identifying accounts you don't know about yet, but it's noisier and less precise than first-party signals.

How BOFU Content Generates Intent Data

BOFU content is both a source and a beneficiary of intent data. Comparison pages, alternative pages, and pricing pages attract visitors who are already in buying mode. Every visit to these pages generates first-party intent data you can act on.

The content strategy creates a feedback loop: BOFU pages rank for high-intent keywords, attracting visitors with purchase intent. Those visits generate behavioral data that sales teams can use to prioritize outreach. The result is a pipeline of prospects who have already self-qualified through their content consumption.

Why Intent Data Matters for SaaS Growth

Intent data changes the economics of customer acquisition. Instead of treating all leads equally, sales teams can focus on prospects showing active buying signals — reducing CAC and shortening sales cycles.

Companies that align their content strategy with intent data create a demand capture engine. Rather than spending resources trying to generate interest from scratch, they intercept buyers who are already in-market and guide them toward a decision.