Personal-level Website Visitor Identification: A Guide

Person Level Visitor Identification: Introduction

Imagine the power of knowing that a potential customer visited your pricing page in real-time and being able to identify their name, company, and even LinkedIn profile. These valuable insights go beyond basic website analytics and IP tracking, providing in-depth, actionable data that can transform marketing efforts and significantly improve the efficiency of sales teams.

In the broader sense, person-level website visitor identification enables marketing teams to track and analyse the behavior of specific individuals, allowing them to understand the customer journey better and optimise their marketing campaigns for improved conversion rates. For example, RH Commercial Vehicles (RHCV) could generate £50k in revenue, achieving an 1150% return on investment (ROI) through website visitor identification tools.

Overview

1. Person Level Visitor Identification: Introduction
2. GA4 (Google Analytics) – Market leader in ‘Anonymous’ Web analytics
3. Website Visitor Identification on “Classical” Company Level
4. Quick overview of “Company-level” identifier platforms
5. Personal-level Website Visitor Identification market in 2024
6. How does LeadRebel’s Visitor Identification Technically Work?
7. GDPR and Legal Compliance for LeadRebel and Person-Level Website Visitor Identification Tools
8. LeadRebel’s Data Compliance with Global Legal Landscape
9. Comparing LeadRebel vs. RB2B Personal-level Website Visitor Identification Tools
10. How do Marketing and Sales Teams Benefit from Personal-level Website Visitor Identification
11. Integration Use Cases for LeadRebel’s Person-level Website Visitor Identification tools (Email Marketing Tools, Personalized LinkedIn outreach, and Targeted Cold Calling)
12. Summary and Future Trends

GA4 (Google Analytics) – Market leader in ‘Anonymous’ Web analytics

With over 9 million website integrations, GA4 holds 86.1% of the web analytics market, thanks to its free platform, integration with Google’s ecosystem, and advanced features for tracking user behavior and engagement.

GA4 (unlike Universal Analytics) is an event-based model that identifies every visitor interaction – page views, button clicks, video plays, or file downloads -as an event. A code snippet added to the website is used as a tracker for GA4 to identify individual events on a web page.

However, GA4 does not identify “company-level or person-level” data. The platform is capturing most on-site events as anonymised data. Let’s dive deeper into GA4’s limitations – for Lead Generation and B2B retargeting:

Yet, with features like Cross-platform profiling (user behavior monitored across websites and apps), Measurement Protocol, Custom audiences, ML, and integration with Google Ads, GA4 offers a unified view of ICP’s journey, making it a marketer’s free and favorite tool for non-selective ICP retargeting.

Website Visitor Identification on “Classical” Company Level

The next-generation website visitor identification tools focused on offering “Company-level” information and recognising ‘Buyer Groups’ (two or more website visitors from the same company). The trend started in 2009 when Lead Forensics launched its reverse IP tracking platform to identify anonymous website visitors for B2B brands and convert them into actionable sales leads.

Since then, several visitor identification tools have pioneered sourcing Company-level data by leveraging a combination of proprietary and public network sources such as IP addresses, firmographics, and network databases.

Image Source: Leadforensics

Quick overview of “Company-level” identifier platforms

• LeadRebel: Initially developed as a company-level identification platform, LeadRebel empowers B2B businesses to track and identify global website visitors (including those from the EU). Uniquely, LeadRebel specialises in personal-level identification for U.S. visitors, offering a first-of-its-kind platform that combines individual contact information with detailed firmographic data. This dual focus—on both company-level and personal-level insights—enables businesses to access granular data and more actionable intelligence on their website traffic.
• Lead Forensics: Leverages reverse IP tracking and proprietary databases to identify individual visitors and fetches their Company name, pages visited, and financials. The platform claims to process over 2 billion data points annually to process company identification and can potentially ‘unmask’ even remote corporate visitors.
• Leadfeeder: Built as an internal tool for a digital marketing agency, Leadfeeder serves over 40,000+ business customers globally.
• Clearbit: With their flagship Enrichment APIs and Webhook integrations, popular SaaS tools (Asana, Salesforce, and Intercom) have backend integrations with Clearbit to deliver real-time company-level data on visitors and leads. 
• Salespanel: Built to identify high-intent leads, the platform accelerates conversions with real-time alerts on B2B SaaS companies and businesses with high-value sales cycles. Even if a website visitor remains anonymous, the platform uses tracking codes to log these visits and provides firmographic information. 

Image Source: Salespanel.io

The scope and abilities of a ’Company-level’ visitor identifier tool go beyond GA4 (Google Analytics) to offer specific insights on the visitor’s company information – firmographics, technographics, and (if available) the visitor’s purchase intent.

In addition, company-level data aggregators operate via basic IP-to-company lookup functions or integrate databases. Hence, these tools strictly comply with GDPR/ Data Privacy Regulations across global markets.

However, generic firmographic data can only enhance sales intelligence or account-based marketing (ABM) but lacks data accuracy and falls short of identifying person-level information of ICPs. 

To address the challenge of identifying individual website visitors, RB2B (R! B2B) pioneered a disruptive technology that provides real-time identification of website visitors, empowering website owners with valuable insights. LeadRebel.io followed suit, offering an improvised tool to help B2B businesses know the identity of their anonymous website traffic.

Personal-level Website Visitor Identification market in 2024

A step ahead of offering ‘Company-level’ information is fetching ‘Personal-level’ information of website visitors, which RB2B pioneered, LeadRebel and some other companies followed, disrupting the B2B Lead Generation and marketing space.

Image: Personal-level data vs. Company-level data identifiers. Source: RB2B

On the surface level, LeadRebel.io aggregates personal-level information from 1st and 3rd party cookies, device IDs, and IP addresses, matching them with an “extensive proprietary publisher network” (more on this in the next section).

Two Specific Challenges that ‘Personal-Level’ Visitor Information Solves for Marketing and Sales Teams

• Authorized Personal-level data: While company-level identifiers stop at revealing visitor firmographics, LeadRebel goes a step ahead by identifying visitor contact information and pushing their profiles to CRM. RB2B, too, identifies a visitor’s LinkedIn profile to sales teams on Slack. These real-time systems allow for more verified and targeted outreach efforts for Sales Teams and reduce dependency even on third-party data validation tools.
• Instant engagement with Warm leads: With real-time push notifications on CRM and Slack, sales teams can act swiftly to engage with a warm/potential lead while they actively evaluate a product or service on the B2B website. This (as the platform claims) has potentially led to faster sales cycles and increased conversion rates.

How does LeadRebel’s Visitor Identification Technically Work?

LeadRebel.io visitor tracking and identification works by embedding a proprietary pixel script (similar to Google Analytics) onto a B2B website header to collect visitor IP, further referenced with a barrage of other datasets to identify visitor profiles. Let us dive deep into the visitor identification mechanism:

Step #1: Pixel installation and Initiating tracking

• LeadRebel embeds a JavaScript tracking code (a pixel) onto a client’s website header. 
• The code captures visitor data, including IP address, browser information, operating system, and on-site behavior (pages visited, time spent, etc.).

Step #2: IP Address Resolution and Enrichment

• From the captured IP address (of a visitor from the US), LeadRebel leverages range of  IP to company databases and matches it with own data and potentially other data enrichment sources to identify the visitor’s company and build a more comprehensive company profile.

Note 1: LeadRebel respects the browser’s “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature, whereby the entry in local storage is not created if the end-user explicitly disables this through a browser setting.

Note 2: LeadRebel does not rely on cookies, allowing them to track visitors even with cookie restrictions.

Step #3: LinkedIn and Database Matching

• LeadRebel further enhances the IP and Company data enrichment process by leveraging LinkedIn data to provide more detailed insights into the companies visiting your website. 
• This process involves analyzing various data points, including company name, website domain, and employee names (if available), but potentially cross-references even social media activity.

Step #4: Automation, Real-time Alerts and CRM Integration

• LeadRebel integrates with HubSpot (or other CRM tools) to push real-time notifications of a website visitor with a link to their LinkedIn bio. This enables sales teams to engage with their leads quickly.

Source: LeadRebel.io

GDPR and Legal Compliance for LeadRebel and Person-Level Website Visitor Identification Tools

While integrating LeadRebel, or similar personal-level website visitor identification tools with a website, business owners must carefully evaluate GDPR or applicable data-protection norms. 

Why should Business owners bother about GDPR?

Similar to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), certain mandatory data protection laws focus on protecting citizens online privacy and to restrict commercial use of their web activity. Such laws define personal data as information about an identifiable natural person. 

In specific, GDPR has set a global standard for data privacy and includes direct identifiers (like names and email addresses of website visitors) and indirect identifiers (like IP addresses and online identifiers) as personal data.

Is the LeadRebel Tool GDPR compliant? Yes, LeadRebel is GDPR compliant. As LeadRebel operates globally, including extensively within the EU, it adheres to strict data protection regulations. However, for businesses operating in both the U.S. and EU markets, note that:

• LeadRebel processes Company and firmographics data by identifying website visitors and sourcing their internet activity and company profiles (from both U.S. and the EU) while ensuring full compliance with GDPR requirements. 
• However, person-level recognition is exempt from GDPR if it involves only U.S.-based individuals, as GDPR does not apply to personal data from U.S. visitors.

LeadRebel’s Data Compliance with Global Legal Landscape

Data privacy regulations like the CCPA (in California) are more lenient than GDPR, and hence LeadRebel is free to operate by anonymising IP addresses and focusing explicitly on B2B interactions (not B2C).

However, any person-level visitor identification tool operating globally will be challenged with a complex global compliance landscape that includes:

• Stronger Emphasis on User/Visitor Consent: Regions outside the US might require explicit consent for data processing, increasing operational complexity.
• Data Management or Localization: Countries like Russia and some Asian nations mandate local data storage, complicating cross-border data handling.
• Platform Restrictions: Use of LinkedIn can be restricted in certain countries like China, hindering data aggregation efforts.

Compliance with Data Privacy Norms: Update your website’s Privacy Policy and Data Usage terms to inform your visitors and avoid getting penalized. 

Comparing LeadRebel vs. RB2B Personal-level Website Visitor Identification Tools

While both LeadRebel and RB2B offer website visitor identification, LeadRebel goes a step further. It combines both company-level and personal-level data, providing a more comprehensive view of your website visitors and their potential fit with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

Here’s a closer look at what sets LeadRebel apart. Please note, that feature landscape might change anytime and we make no claim to completeness. If you see any discrepancies, please notify us.

Table 2: Comparing LeadRebel.io and RB2B Tools

In essence:

• LeadRebel offers a broader focus on both company-level and personal-level data, with more extensive integration options for visitor activity. Hence, the platform is ideal for B2B businesses that want a deep understanding of both visitor behavior and identity. 
• RB2B, on the other hand, excels in real-time individual-level identification, providing businesses with actionable insights to enhance their sales pipeline, making it more suited for high-intent, fast-paced outbound sales environments.

How do Marketing and Sales Teams Benefit from Personal-level Website Visitor Identification

Studies show that only about 2% of website visitors convert on their first visit, and identifying the other 98% opens up a huge opportunity for lead generation. With tools like LeadRebel, B2B businesses can leverage visitor-identification alerts to gain a significant advantage and drive-in revenue.

• Prioritising High-Value Prospects: By identifying key decision-makers from target accounts visiting a website, sales teams can prioritize efforts to target high AOV (Average Order Value) prospects and buyer groups with high purchase intent.
• Anonymous Visitors turned into Qualified Leads: Rather than letting potential customers slip away, marketing teams can identify their prospects, learn about their specific interests, and proactively engage with them by leveraging firmographics and contact details such as email addresses or phone numbers.
• Personalized Outreach to Improve ROI: Knowing a visitor’s web activity (dwell, scroll depth and page visits) allows marketing teams and sales teams to craft a pitch to address the specific needs and interests of the visitor. Such personalised outreach efforts yield 6x ROI compared to a generic retargeting call or mail.
• Lead Nurturing and Shortened Sales Cycles: Engaging with warm leads who expressed interest in a website offering accelerates the sales process and closes deals faster. Snov.io identifies that such lead nurturing can increase sales leads by 50% at a 33% lower cost.
• Improve Conversion Rates (CRO): Insights from visitor profiles can help optimise website layouts and assist in A/B tests to yield higher conversion rates and CTA clicks. For instance, B2B businesses that use visitor tracking tools see an average conversion rate increase of 10-20%.

Integration Use Cases for LeadRebel’s Person-level Website Visitor Identification tool

A. Email Marketing Tools:

Combining a website visitor identification tool like LeadRebel with email marketing platforms like Instantly or Apollo.io unlocks powerful capabilities for targeted outreach and personalized engagements. Email marketers can benefit from:

• Integrating visitor data (e.g., job title, company names, company size) with email marketing platforms enhances lead-scoring accuracy through AI. In addition, with behavioral and engagement data, Predictive lead qualification can boost conversion rates by 20-30%.
• According to a study by Mailchimp, hyper-personalized email campaigns that tailor messages to visitor interests, such as browsing history or past purchases, achieve 26% higher open rates and 41% higher click-through rates than a generic cold-email outreach.
• Automation can also be enabled with Event-triggered email campaigns, Automated sales outreach, and Personalized sales funnels, allowing more effective marketing efforts than traditional methods.

B. Personalized LinkedIn outreach:

When high-intent visitor data from LeadRebel is combined with LinkedIn outreach tools, marketers can transform LinkedIn outreach into a more meaningful and relevant one.

• Connection requests can be tailored based on visitors’ on-site behavior, specific pages they visited, and on-page events to demonstrate a genuine interest in building user satisfaction. LinkedIn highlights that such personalised connection requests are 3x more likely to be accepted.
• Sharing content with prospects on live chat based on their browsing history and LinkedIn interests: For example, if a visitor views a case studies page, send them a personalised message with a relevant case study and a call to action. Research by HubSpot shows that targeted content can increase lead conversion rates by up to 80%.

C. Targeted Cold Calling:

LeadRebel, used in conjunction with tools like Ocean.io or Apollo.io, can enrich firmographic data, boosting the sales team’s cold-calling efforts with more informed, relevant, and timely outreach.

• With real-time alerts and the ability to reach out to high-quality leads while they are actively engaged with your website. According to InsideSales.com, contacting a lead within 5 minutes of their website visit can increase the likelihood of qualifying that lead by up to 100x times compared to waiting 30 minutes.
• LeadRebel.io can identify valuable leads who demonstrate interest by their on-page engagement and number of page visits. Research by Gartner shows that prioritising leads based on their engagement can increase B2B Marketing conversion rates by up to 30%.

Summary and Future Trends

Person-level website visitor identification tools like LeadRebel.io revolutionize how businesses connect with potential customers. With integrated personal-level and company-level data such as email addresses and phone numbers, B2B marketing teams can reach out to high-intent leads at the right time and improve lead-generation efforts combined with lead scoring and account-based marketing.

However, website owners must also be mindful of data privacy regulations like GDPR compliance and CCPA to avoid getting peanalised. Ethical considerations, transparency and lawful control of customer data must be ensured by website owners while processing personal data like IP addresses, contact details, and other personal information.

Future trends: With advanced automated triggers and API integrations, personal-level tools will get a sophisticated upgrade with Machine learning and AI-enhanced features. Advanced tools like LeadRebel.io, RB2B, and other website visitor tracking software will likely play a key role in helping businesses navigate the evolving AI-driven digital marketing and sales landscape.