If you run a B2B website, chances are most of your visitors never fill out a form or book a demo. They poke around, leave, and you’re left guessing who they were. This guide is for marketers, sales teams, and founders who want to stop flying blind and start identifying the companies behind those anonymous visits—so you can do smarter, more targeted outreach. We’ll cover how to use Clearbit Reveal to figure out which companies are on your site, what you can actually do with that info, and a few pitfalls to watch out for.
What Is Clearbit Reveal (And What It’s Not)
Clearbit Reveal is a tool that tries to match a visitor’s IP address to a company. If it gets a hit, you’ll see the company name, industry, size, and sometimes even technologies they use. That’s the core idea.
A few things to get straight: - You’re not getting individual names or emails. You’ll see the company, not the specific person. - It only works for business visitors. If someone’s at home or on a mobile network, they’ll show up as “Comcast” or “AT&T”—which is useless. - Data isn’t perfect. Matches can be wrong or missing, and smaller companies often slip through.
So: It’s helpful, but don’t expect magic.
Step 1: Setting Up Clearbit Reveal
1.1 Get Access and API Keys
First, you need a Clearbit account. Go to their site, sign up, and grab your Reveal API key. If you’re on a free trial, know there are limits—this isn’t a forever-free tool.
Pro tip: Check your current tech stack. Some web platforms (like HubSpot or Segment) have Clearbit integrations, which can save you setup headaches.
1.2 Add the Reveal Script to Your Site
You’ll need to add Clearbit’s JavaScript snippet to your site, usually in the <head> section. Here’s what it looks like (double-check their docs for updates):
html
Swap in your actual API key. If you use a tag manager (like Google Tag Manager), drop it in there.
What to ignore: Don’t overthink the script placement unless you have a really custom setup. Most sites just need it globally.
1.3 Confirm It’s Working
Visit your site and check that the script loads (use your browser’s network tools). Then check Clearbit’s dashboard—if you see recent company visits, you’re good. If not, revisit your script or check for ad blockers.
Step 2: Surfacing Company Data in Your Tools
Collecting the data is half the battle. The other half is actually seeing it where you work.
2.1 Push Reveal Data into Your CRM
Most teams want company visits to show up in Salesforce, HubSpot, or wherever they track leads. Clearbit can push data into these tools, but you might need to set up: - Native integrations (if available) - Webhooks (for custom routing) - Middleware like Zapier or Make, if you’re not technical
Pro tip: Don’t dump everything into your CRM. Focus on companies that match your ideal customer profile, or you’ll drown in noise.
2.2 Use Slack Alerts for Hot Prospects
Set up Clearbit to ping a Slack channel when a target account visits. That way, sales can jump on warm leads in real time.
- You’ll need to connect Clearbit to Slack—follow their guides.
- Filter for high-value companies only; nobody wants 20 “Random ISP” alerts a day.
2.3 Sync with Analytics Tools
Integrate Clearbit Reveal with analytics tools (like Google Analytics or Mixpanel) if you want to segment website behavior by company type, industry, or revenue. This helps with reporting and spotting which pages attract real buyers.
Step 3: Personalizing Outreach Based on Reveal Data
Here’s where things get interesting. Once you know a company visited, you can:
3.1 Enrich and Prioritize Leads
- If a company matches your ICP, surface it to sales for fast follow-up.
- Use Clearbit’s data (industry, size, tech stack) to decide if you should reach out or ignore.
Don’t: Chase every visitor. Focus on companies that fit your sweet spot.
3.2 Trigger Smart Email Campaigns
- If you have a contact at that company already, automate an email (“Saw you checked out our pricing page…”).
- Be subtle—don’t come off as creepy or robotic.
- For net-new companies, use the data to research the right contact. Tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator work well here.
3.3 Customize Website Content (Carefully)
- Some teams use Reveal to swap out website messages or CTAs based on the visitor’s industry or company size.
- This takes more dev work, and the payoff isn’t always huge. Test before you build something complex.
3.4 Inform Your Sales Research
Even if you don’t reach out right away, knowing which companies are checking you out helps your team prep for future calls or pitch meetings.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time personalizing for “unknown” ISPs or companies too small to matter. Focus your energy.
Step 4: Avoiding Common Pitfalls
4.1 Don’t Trust the Data Blindly
- IP matching isn’t perfect. Office VPNs, remote work, or shared Wi-Fi mean you’ll miss plenty of visits or get false positives.
- Use Reveal as a directional signal, not gospel truth.
4.2 Don’t Over-Automate
- Resist the urge to blast cold emails just because a company visited your site once.
- Outreach is more effective when it’s thoughtful, not triggered by a single page view.
4.3 Mind the Privacy Implications
- While company-level data is less sensitive than individual tracking, people are more privacy-aware than ever.
- Use the data responsibly; don’t cross the line into “we’re watching you” territory.
4.4 Don’t Ignore Attribution Basics
- Reveal doesn’t replace your regular analytics.
- Keep using UTM tracking, conversion goals, and other basics. Reveal is a supplement, not a replacement.
Step 5: Measuring What Actually Matters
5.1 Track the Right Metrics
Instead of tracking “number of companies identified,” focus on: - How many good-fit accounts visited, and how many you actually reached - Meetings booked or deals opened from Reveal-driven outreach - Conversion rates after personalization (if you’re testing custom content)
5.2 Iterate, Don’t Overthink
- Start simple: Just get the data into Slack or your CRM and see what’s useful.
- Only build more automation if you see real value.
- Constantly ask, “Is this helping sales, or just adding noise?”
Recap: Keep It Simple and Useful
Clearbit Reveal is a handy tool for B2B teams who want to see which companies are checking out their site. It won’t work miracles, and it’s far from perfect—but if you use it to surface real buying signals (and ignore the noise), it can give your sales and marketing a solid edge. Start small, focus on what actually moves the needle, and don’t get distracted by fancy dashboards or overhyped features. Test, learn, and keep it practical.