Intent signals are behavioral data points that indicate a company is actively researching a solution like yours. Not all intent signals are equal — understanding the hierarchy helps you prioritize accordingly.
First-party intent comes from your own properties: website visits, content downloads, email clicks, trial signups, pricing page views. It's the highest-quality signal because it's direct evidence of interest in your specific product.
Third-party intent comes from external sources: G2 Buyer Intent (companies viewing your G2 profile), Bombora (aggregated content consumption across the web), TechTarget (content consumption on media sites), and similar data providers. It's broader but less specific — a company consuming content about "visitor intelligence" across multiple sites may or may not be evaluating you specifically.
Third-party intent is most valuable for identifying in-market accounts that haven't yet visited your site — essentially, expanding your awareness of who's actively researching before they find you. Use it for top-of-funnel prospecting, not bottom-of-funnel prioritization (where first-party signals are far more reliable).