Advanced Search vs. the Intent tabs: which should I use?
Last reviewed October 22, 2026
Use Advanced Search for a full list of everyone who matches your filters. Use the Intent tabs for a smaller list of people showing buying signals right now.
| Advanced Search | Intent B2B / Intent B2C | |
|---|---|---|
| Searches | The full database | Only people or companies with recent buying signals |
| Time window | Not limited to recent activity | A range from the last 1-14 days |
| List size | Large | Small, by design |
| Changes daily? | Slowly | Yes, often a lot |
| Best for | Market lists, direct mail by area, "every company like X" | Timely outreach, retargeting, high-intent ads |
Common mistake
Building in an Intent tab and expecting a full market list. If your intent audience is smaller than expected, that's usually normal. Rebuild the same filters in Advanced Search for the full picture.
Next steps
Related articles
- How intent topics workIntent topics group buying signals around a product, service, or brand. DataMoon covers 40,000+ topics, and you can use up to 5 per audience.
- My audience has too few or 0 resultsThe most common cause is using an Intent tab when you want a full list. Too many NAICS codes, stacked filters, and narrow locations are next.