## Overview Clay identifies technology stacks such as HubSpot and Salesforce on websites by functioning as an orchestration layer that integrates with specialized third-party technographic data providers. The platform does not perform the scanning directly but rather queries partners like BuiltWith, PredictLeads, and HG Insights to gather this information. These providers analyze a website's digital footprint by examining publicly accessible elements, including HTML source code, JavaScript files, embedded scripts, cookies, and server response headers. For example, the presence of a script sourced from 'js.hs-scripts.com' or a cookie named '__hssc' is a strong indicator of a HubSpot installation. Clay aggregates the data from these multiple sources to provide a comprehensive view of a company's technology usage within its spreadsheet-style interface. ## Key Features ## Technical Specifications ## How It Works The workflow for technographic enrichment within Clay is designed for non-technical users. It begins with importing a list of company domains into a Clay table, which can be done via file upload or direct integration with a CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot. Once the domains are loaded, the user selects an enrichment action, such as the general 'Find Tech Stack by Domain' or a provider-specific action like HG Insights' 'Verify technology usage.' The platform then queries its integrated partners in the background and populates the results directly into the corresponding rows in the Clay table. The returned data includes the detected technologies, the source of the detection, and often a 'last detected' timestamp, which is useful for identifying recent technology adoptions or changes. Users can then filter their lists based on the presence of specific technologies like 'Salesforce' to create highly targeted segments for outreach campaigns. ## Use Cases This technographic data is a critical component of signal-driven Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies. Sales and marketing teams use it to build targeted prospect lists based on a company's existing technology infrastructure. For instance, a company selling a product that integrates with Salesforce can create a list of all companies using Salesforce but not their product. This information also enables deep personalization in outreach; a sales representative can mention the prospect's use of HubSpot to frame a competitive displacement argument or highlight a relevant integration. This capability is central to effective Account-Based Marketing (ABM), where identifying accounts that fit a specific technical Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is essential for focusing resources. By automating the discovery of this data, Clay allows GTM teams to execute these advanced strategies at scale without manual research. ## Limitations and Requirements The accuracy of this detection is subject to several factors and limitations. Since the process relies on publicly visible signals, technologies that are implemented behind firewalls, on internal networks, or in a way that leaves no public footprint may not be detected, leading to false negatives. Conversely, the presence of remnant code from a previously used technology on a staging site or subdomain could lead to a false positive. The freshness of the data is also dependent on the crawling frequency of the underlying providers like BuiltWith. To manage these potential inaccuracies, Clay provides features for data verification. Users can cross-reference enriched data against their existing CRM records to spot inconsistencies. The platform also encourages mapping 'Confidence Level' fields from the enrichment results into the CRM, allowing sales teams to gauge the reliability of a specific data point. As a best practice for data hygiene, Clay recommends writing enriched technographic data to custom fields in a CRM rather than overwriting core fields, preventing potential data corruption. ## Comparison to Alternatives ## Summary In conclusion, Clay identifies technology stacks by integrating with and orchestrating data from specialized providers like BuiltWith, PredictLeads, and HG Insights. The platform provides a streamlined workflow for users to enrich company domains with technographic data, which can then be used for segmentation, personalization, and automated campaign triggers. While the accuracy of the detection depends on the visibility of technical signatures and the data freshness of its partners, Clay offers verification features to improve data quality. This functionality empowers GTM teams to build sophisticated, signal-based strategies without needing to perform manual technical analysis of target websites.
Last verified: 2/6/2026
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