If your Contact or Company search returns too many, too few, or no results, the issue is often caused by one or more search filters being too restrictive or conflicting.

This article outlines the most common causes and how to resolve them.

No Results Found

If your search returns no results:

Remove some of your search filters.
Check whether Exact Match is enabled for Company Name, Domain, or Job Title.
Review any Include and Exclude filters you've applied.
Broaden your Location filters.
Try using Keywords instead of a specific Industry.

Building your search gradually often produces better results than applying many filters at once.

Too Few Results

If you're seeing fewer results than expected:

Disable Exact Match if it isn't required.
Search using broader Job Title keywords.
Use Department and Seniority instead of specific job titles.
Remove unnecessary Exclude filters.
Search using All Company Locations instead of Headquarters if appropriate.

Too Many Results

If your search returns too many companies or contacts:

Add additional filters such as Industry, Technologies, Company Size, Revenue, or Location.
Use Exclude filters to remove unwanted companies or industries.
Combine Job Titles with Seniority.
Narrow your search using Intent or Event Triggers.

I Can't Find a Company

If a company is missing from your search:

Check the spelling of the company name or domain.
Disable Exact Company Name Match if enabled.
Try searching by domain instead of company name.
Use the Keywords filter if the company operates in a niche market.

I Can't Find a Contact

If you cannot find a specific contact:

Check the spelling of their name.
Search using broader Job Title keywords.
Use Department and Seniority filters.
Search by Company first, then view the company's employees.

My Location Search Isn't Working

Prospector includes three different location filters.

Company Location searches all company office locations.
HQ Location searches only the company's headquarters.
Contact Location searches where the individual works.

Using the wrong location filter may exclude the records you're expecting.

For more information, see Understand Location Filters in Prospector.

My Industry Search Isn't Returning the Right Companies

Some industries contain multiple related industry classifications.

If your results are broader than expected:

Use Exclude Industries.
Search using SIC, ISIC, or NAICS codes.
Consider using the Keywords filter for niche industries.

Salesforce Filters Aren't Available

If Salesforce filters do not appear:

Confirm that the Salesforce integration has been configured.
Verify that the Salesforce Data Import has completed successfully.
Ensure your organisation has enabled Salesforce data for search.

For more information, see Using Salesforce Filters in Search.

Intent Filters Aren't Available

If Intent filters do not appear:

Confirm that your subscription includes Intent.
Verify that an Administrator has configured Intent topics.
Allow time for newly configured topics to become available.

Still Need Help?

If you've reviewed the steps above and your search results still don't match your expectations, contact Cognism Support with:

The filters you applied.
The company or contact you expected to find.
Screenshots of your search filters, if available.