The short definition
Intent data is behavioural evidence that someone is in the market now.
The commercial version of the term usually refers to purchased datasets tracking business browsing behaviour across the web. That is a business-to-business product and is rarely relevant to a local service business.
The useful version is the intent signals your own systems already produce.
The intent signals you already have
Search terms. The strongest signal available. "Emergency AC repair near me" and "how does air conditioning work" express completely different intent, and the first is a customer.
Pricing page visits. Someone reading your pricing has moved from wondering to evaluating.
Repeat visits. A visitor returning within a few days is considering, not browsing.
Contact page without contacting. Reached the point of deciding and stopped. Often the most actionable signal on the site, and usually the least examined.
Calls that went unanswered. The strongest intent signal there is — someone who dialled. If nothing else on this list gets attention, this one should.
Quote requested, no decision. Explicit intent that has stalled.
What to do with each
Most of them lead to the same action: contact them, quickly, like a person.
- Unanswered call → automatic text back within seconds, then a real call
- Quote with no decision → a short follow-up sequence over two weeks
- Repeat visitor → nothing automated, but worth knowing when the phone rings
- Search intent → build pages that match the transactional searches, not only the informational ones
The over-engineering trap
It is possible to buy tools that identify anonymous website visitors, score behaviour and trigger elaborate workflows.
For a business with a handful of enquiries a day, that machinery costs more than it returns while the simplest signal — a missed call — is being ignored. Work down the list above in order.
The privacy dimension
Behavioural tracking involves collecting data about people, and requirements vary by where they are. What applies to your business is a question for a licensed attorney rather than a marketing page.
A sound principle regardless: collect what you will act on, and nothing else.
Where to start
Check how many calls went unanswered last month. That is intent data, it is already recorded by your phone system, and it is the most valuable list on this page.
Frequently asked questions
What intent signals does a local business already have?
Search terms, pricing page visits, repeat visits, contact page visits without contact, unanswered calls, and quotes that stalled. All free, all already recorded somewhere.
Which signal is strongest?
An unanswered call. Someone dialled your number, which is the most explicit buying intent there is, and they will usually dial the next company within minutes.
Should I buy commercial intent data?
Rarely for a local service business — purchased intent datasets are largely a business-to-business product. Work through your own free signals first, in order of strength.
What about privacy?
Behavioural tracking requirements vary by where your visitors are, and that is a legal question for an attorney. A sound principle regardless: collect what you will act on and nothing else.