> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherescout.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Search SphereScout's business contact database

> Learn how to use SphereScout's filters to find the exact business contacts you need — by category, location, and contact detail availability.

The SphereScout dashboard gives you real-time access to millions of business contacts. As soon as you adjust a filter, the result count updates instantly so you can gauge list size before you commit to an export. This guide walks you through every filter available and how to combine them effectively.

## Open the dashboard

Navigate to [spherescout.io](https://spherescout.io) and sign in. You land directly on the search dashboard — the main interface for building your contact list.

## Run a search

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select a business category">
    Click the **Business Categories** field and type to search, or browse the list. The category filter is multi-select, so you can combine related industries in a single search.

    **Example:** Select "Restaurant" and "Café" together to find all food and beverage operators in your target area.

    <Tip>
      Start with a broad category first to see total volume. You can always add more specific categories or apply location filters to narrow results down.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a country">
    Open the **Country** selector and pick your target market. You can select a single country or multiple countries if your campaign spans borders.

    **Example:** Select "United States" for a US-only campaign, or select "United States" and "Canada" for a North American list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Narrow by region or city (optional)">
    Once you select a country, the **State/Region** and **City** fields become available. Use these to focus on a specific geographic area.

    * **State/Region** — Filter to one or more states, counties, or departments depending on the country.
    * **City** — Focus on contacts within a specific city.

    **Example:** Select "California" as the region, then "San Francisco" as the city to target businesses in that metro only.

    <Note>
      More specific locations take priority. If you select a city, results are scoped to that city even if you also have a region selected.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Apply presence filters">
    Under **Contact Details**, toggle the filters for the contact information you need. Each filter limits results to businesses that have that specific data point in the database.

    | Filter        | What it does                            |
    | ------------- | --------------------------------------- |
    | Has Email     | Only contacts with an email address     |
    | Has Phone     | Only contacts with a phone number       |
    | Has Website   | Only contacts with a website            |
    | Has Facebook  | Only contacts with a Facebook page      |
    | Has Twitter/X | Only contacts with a Twitter/X profile  |
    | Has LinkedIn  | Only contacts with a LinkedIn page      |
    | Has Instagram | Only contacts with an Instagram profile |

    <Tip>
      Enable **Has Email** before downloading to ensure every contact in your export is reachable by email. This prevents exporting records you can't use.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Toggle 'Primary activity only' (optional)">
    Enable **Primary activity only** to exclude secondary or satellite business locations. When this is on, results include only businesses where your selected category is their main line of work — not businesses that also happen to operate in that category.

    This is useful when you need tightly focused lists. Keep it off when you want maximum coverage.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the result count">
    The total number of matching contacts appears at the top of the results area as you apply filters. A preview table shows the first few records — business name, email, phone, city, and country — so you can verify data quality before downloading.

    When you are satisfied with the count and the sample data, you are ready to export.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Tips for better searches

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Start broad, then narrow">
    Begin with only a category and country. Check the total count, then add region or city filters to bring it to the size you need. This avoids accidentally over-filtering and missing contacts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use presence filters for reachability">
    Always enable at least "Has Email" or "Has Phone" before exporting. Exporting contacts without the data point you plan to use wastes credits on unreachable records.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Combine categories">
    Use multi-select categories to build lists that span related industries — for example, combining "Plumber", "Electrician", and "HVAC Contractor" for a home services campaign.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use 'Primary activity only' for precision">
    When targeting specialists — like dedicated law firms rather than businesses that occasionally offer legal services — enable "Primary activity only" to keep your list focused.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>