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Finding the right company rarely starts with its name. Sales and procurement teams more often begin with a profile in mind, such as a region and a sector, and need a dependable way to turn that into a list. D&B Hoovers Company Search is built for that starting point, offering more than 200 search filters across companies, contacts and other content such as news and industry reports. Every company in the results sits one click from a detailed company profile, so a rough criterion can become an informed view of a specific business without leaving the platform.
Hoovers company lookup works at two levels. A name search confirms a specific business, while filtered searches build a wider view of a market. Each result opens a company profile that opens with a business description and key contacts, then extends into financials and corporate structure.
Typing a company name into the search bar returns a dropdown of matches, ordered by total sales revenue, and parent companies and subsidiaries usually both appear. That helps when a group trades through several entities. For wider searches, Location filters in the Search & Build a List form narrow results by geography, and for supported geographies the companies on each results page can be plotted on a map. Postal codes can be uploaded in bulk, up to 500 at a time, which suits territory-based research.
Industry filters narrow results by sector. A profile can list up to three industry classifications alongside a longer set of industry codes, so a business operating across several activities is not forced into a single category. Results are sorted by employee count by default, with sales available as an alternative, and the Modify tool lets a team add or remove criteria while a live results count shows how the market changes. That makes it practical to test whether a niche is large enough to pursue before committing time to outreach.
Company Size filters sit alongside Location and Industries, which lets a team define a target band before reviewing a single profile. Once a company is shortlisted, its profile adds a financial summary and a corporate family view that labels each location by role, from headquarters to branch, along with competitor and peer reports where the subscription includes them. Reading size next to structure prevents a subsidiary's scale from being mistaken for that of the whole group.
A. For a specific business, a user types its name into the search bar and selects it from the dropdown. For a wider list, a user selects the content type in Search & Build a List, applies filters from sections such as Location and Industries, and chooses View Results. A count at the top updates as criteria are added, and the Modify tool adjusts the search afterwards. Searches can be saved, and results can be added to a list or saved as a SmartList that updates as companies enter or leave the criteria.
A. Profiles open with a business description and key contacts. Deeper reports cover corporate family structure and competitors, and detailed financial statements are available for public parent companies and the highest-level public subsidiaries. Recent news and trigger alerts sit in their own reports, so a team can check for changes before making contact. The reports available vary by subscription.
A. A DNB Hoovers company search can begin in two ways. The search bar defaults to company search, so entering a name returns matching businesses, with parents and subsidiaries usually listed together. Alternatively, the Search & Build a List form builds a list from filters, and a search can be limited to, or exclude, a saved or uploaded list.
A. Hoovers entity search refers to using name search and the corporate family view to settle on the correct company record within a corporate group before relying on its data. Name searches return parents and subsidiaries together, and the corporate family view shows how each location sits in the hierarchy, as a parent, subsidiary or branch. A team can then confirm it has chosen the intended entity before using the profile for outreach or research.
A. Yes. Filters define the target market, Find Matching Contacts builds a contact list for the companies in the results, and SmartLists keep that list current as the market moves. D&B also describes surfacing buying signals, trigger events and intent data, some of which require a paid add-on, which helps teams prioritise accounts showing meaningful business change.
A. Yes. Profiles combine financial summaries with corporate family structure, giving procurement teams a view of a supplier's size and ownership, while news and trigger alerts flag recent changes. Competitor and peer reports help identify alternative suppliers. Where a decision turns on creditworthiness or compliance, organisations typically add dedicated risk assessment to this research.
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