Most B2B sales teams want answers to two basic questions: Who’s visiting our website, and how do we turn that into revenue? If you’re tired of marketing tools that overpromise and underdeliver, you’re not alone. This review cuts through the noise and gets to the bottom of what LeadFeeder actually does, how well it works, and what to watch out for—so you can decide if it’s worth your time.
What is LeadFeeder, Really?
LeadFeeder isn’t one of those tools that promises to “revolutionize your pipeline overnight.” What it does, in plain English, is try to tell you which companies are visiting your website—even if those people never fill out a form or download your eBook. It connects the dots between anonymous web traffic and real-world businesses, handing your sales team a list of leads you’d never see otherwise.
Here’s the gist: - Lead identification: It matches IP addresses of your site visitors to company names using a big database. - Contact info: For some companies, it can pull in decision makers’ emails and LinkedIn profiles. - Integrations: Pushes leads to your CRM or other sales tools. - Scoring and filtering: Lets you prioritize which companies matter most, based on behavior or firmographics.
How Does LeadFeeder Actually Identify Website Visitors?
Let’s get real: No tool can magically tell you the name and email of everyone hitting your site. Here’s how LeadFeeder works (and its limits):
- IP Lookup: When someone visits your site, LeadFeeder sees their IP address. If that IP is tied to a business (not a coffee shop Wi-Fi), it’ll try to match it to a company.
- Database Cross-Check: LeadFeeder’s value depends on the depth and freshness of its company/IP database. It’s pretty good, but not perfect.
- Filtering Out ISPs: It tries to ignore home users, ISPs, and bot traffic—though some always sneak through.
- Showing You the Company, Not the Individual: Unless a visitor submits a form, you won’t get their name. Sometimes you’ll get company info and a list of possible contacts at that business.
Bottom line: You’ll see companies browsing your site, not individual users. For B2B, that’s still useful—if you know how to work with it.
Setting Up LeadFeeder: What’s Involved?
Getting started is straightforward, but there are some gotchas to watch for. Here’s what setup looks like:
- Add the Tracking Script
- You’ll install a small JavaScript snippet on your website (like Google Analytics).
- Most CMS platforms make this easy (WordPress, HubSpot, etc.).
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Pro tip: Install it across all site pages, not just your homepage. You want the full picture.
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Connect Your Tools
- LeadFeeder integrates with CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive), email tools, and Slack.
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Take a minute to map fields correctly—bad data in, bad data out.
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Set Up Filters and Lead Scoring
- You’ll want to filter out junk: ISPs, students, and job seekers aren’t sales leads.
- Set up alerts for visits from your target accounts or key industries.
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Don’t get too granular right away. Start broad, then tighten filters after a week of data.
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Invite Your Team
- Sales and marketing should both have access.
- Make sure everyone knows how to interpret the data. It’s not a magic “buying intent” signal.
What to watch for:
- LeadFeeder will pick up your own employees (if they visit your site from the office). Exclude your own IPs right away.
- The first week’s data will be noisy. Don’t panic—just keep tweaking filters.
Day-to-Day: How Teams Actually Use LeadFeeder
Here’s where theory meets reality. Once you’re up and running, here’s how most teams use LeadFeeder:
1. Daily Lead Lists
Sales reps check LeadFeeder for new companies visiting the website, especially those hitting high-value product or pricing pages. If a target account appears, that’s your cue to reach out.
2. CRM Push
If you use Salesforce or HubSpot, LeadFeeder can push leads right into your workflows. You can set up rules—like “companies from the manufacturing sector who visited the pricing page”—to trigger notifications or tasks.
3. Marketing Insights
It’s not just for sales. Marketers use LeadFeeder to figure out which campaigns are drawing real interest from real companies (not just anonymous traffic).
4. Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
If you’re targeting a list of dream accounts, set up alerts for when those companies visit. It’s a good “should we reach out now?” nudge for sales.
What works:
- Fast notifications help you strike while the iron’s hot.
- Filtering by company size, industry, or geography keeps reps focused.
What doesn’t:
- Don’t expect every visitor to be a real lead. LeadFeeder casts a wide net.
- The “possible contacts” are often just scraped LinkedIn profiles—do your own research before cold-emailing.
The Good, The Bad, and The Meh
No tool is a silver bullet. Here’s what you can count on—and what to be realistic about.
What LeadFeeder Does Well
- Saves Time: Instead of staring at Google Analytics or guessing, you get a usable list of companies.
- Integration: Works with most major CRMs and sales tools, so you don’t have to change your stack.
- Simple UI: Clean, not cluttered. Most people get the hang of it in an hour.
- Custom Filters: You control what shows up, so you’re not overwhelmed by junk leads.
Where LeadFeeder Falls Short
- No Individual Tracking: You rarely get the actual person who visited your site. If you need direct contact info, you’ll often need to dig deeper yourself.
- Database Gaps: Some companies won’t show up—especially smaller ones or those using cloud hosting.
- False Positives: Sometimes a company shows up because one employee landed on your blog during lunch. Not all visits are sales-ready.
- Pricing: Not cheap, especially as your site traffic grows. The free trial is generous, but long-term, small teams may find it pricey.
Things to Ignore
- The “intent data” hype. A single visit doesn’t mean someone’s ready to buy. Use these signals to prioritize, not to pounce.
- Over-engineered lead scoring. Start simple. Complicated scoring often just confuses the team.
- Fancy dashboards. The real value is in the new names, not pretty charts.
Is LeadFeeder Right for You?
Ask yourself: - Do you get meaningful B2B website traffic (hundreds or thousands of visits a month)? - Is your sales team hungry for new accounts to call or email? - Do you already have a CRM and sales process in place?
If you answered yes, LeadFeeder’s probably worth a trial. If you’re a startup with a few dozen site visits a week, you won’t get much value.
Pro tip: Run the free trial for a full sales cycle. If your reps actually close leads sourced from LeadFeeder, it’s paying off. If it’s just a list that sits untouched, move on.
Alternatives Worth Considering
LeadFeeder isn’t the only show in town. Here are a few others:
- Albacross: Similar IP-based visitor identification. Slightly different UI, pricing may be more attractive for smaller teams.
- Clearbit Reveal: Focuses more on real-time enrichment and broader company data, but can get expensive.
- Visitor Queue: A no-frills, budget-friendly option with fewer bells and whistles.
If you’re on the fence, try a couple in parallel. The one your team actually uses is the right one.
Final Take: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
LeadFeeder does what it says on the tin—it points out which companies are poking around your site. That’s useful, but it’s not a magic bullet. The real win is giving your sales team a running start with new accounts they’d never have found otherwise.
Don’t overcomplicate things. Start with basic filters, see if it sparks real conversations, and only double down if it actually moves the needle. Marketing tech is full of hype—use what works, ignore the rest, and keep tweaking as you go.