Running your first prospects search takes less than a minute. But picking the right strategy and inputs makes all the difference between a list of random businesses and a pipeline of high-quality leads. Here's exactly how to do it.
How to Run a New Prospects Search
- Navigate to Find Leads from the main dashboard or top navigation bar.
- Choose a strategy — this controls how LeadRanks builds its search. Each strategy is covered in detail in our strategies guide.
- Fill in the search form based on your chosen strategy. A keyword, industry, location, or competitor domain.
- Click "Find Leads" and let the system do the work. You'll see a live progress banner while the search runs.
Example Searches
| What you're looking for | Strategy | Input |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers in Perth with bad websites | Industry | Industry: Plumber Location: Perth |
| Law firms missing basic SEO | Specific Issues | Issues: missing meta descriptions, no SSL Industry: Legal Services |
| Cafes near a known competitor | Competitor Gap | Keyword: cafe Location: Melbourne |
| Any business with broken links in Sydney | Specific Issues | Issues: broken links Location: Sydney |
Choosing the Right Strategy
The strategy you pick determines how LeadRanks discovers URLs to analyze:
- Industry — search for businesses in a specific vertical
- Specific Issues — hunt for sites with known SEO problems
- Location — target a geographic area aggressively
- Competitor Gap — find businesses ranking alongside a competitor
- Custom — combine keywords, issues, and targeting for maximum control
Pro tip: Start broad, then narrow down as you learn what converts. An Industry search for "Plumber" across all locations might return 50 leads — then refine with a location or specific issues on your next search.