One of the questions we get from new LeadsFriday users is surprisingly simple: "You only need my Apollo search URL?" For an Apollo search export, yes. You build your audience inside Apollo using the filters you want, copy the search URL from your browser, and paste it into LeadsFriday. You don’t need to manually type all those filters again. Here’s how it works and what you should check before submitting your first Apollo search.
What is an Apollo search URL?
When you build a search in Apollo, the URL in your browser contains information that represents the search you’ve created.
As you add or change filters, the URL changes with your search.
That might include criteria such as:
- Job titles
- Locations
- Seniority
- Industries
- Company headcount
- Keywords
- Technologies
- Other search settings
Why the search URL matters
This makes the URL useful because you don’t have to explain your target audience to us manually.
Instead of saying "I need marketing directors and VPs of marketing at US software companies with 50-200 employees...", you can build that search in Apollo and give LeadsFriday the search URL. For supported searches, that gives us what we need to process the export.
Think of the search URL as the starting point for your export.
You’ve already done the important targeting work inside Apollo. LeadsFriday doesn’t need you to rebuild the same search from scratch.
Your workflow becomes: build the search in Apollo - copy the URL - paste it into LeadsFriday - submit your request - download your CSV.
It’s especially useful when you’re dealing with detailed searches that contain several filters.
You can also save the URL somewhere and return to the same search later instead of trying to remember exactly which filters you used.
Which filters matter most
Apollo gives you plenty of ways to narrow a search. That doesn’t mean you should use all of them.
We’ve spent years building B2B lists for clients, and one thing we’ve learned is that over-filtering can be just as bad as under-filtering.
Start with the criteria that genuinely determine whether someone belongs in your target audience.
For company searches, some of the most useful filters are:
- Location - Where the company operates or is headquartered.
- Industry - Helps keep your list focused on the types of businesses you sell to.
- Employee count - Useful for separating SMB, mid-market, and enterprise companies.
- Technologies - Helpful when your offer depends on what software or technology a company uses.
- Keywords - Useful when industry categories alone aren’t specific enough.
Filters for people searches
For people searches, you’ll usually care more about:
- Job title - What the person actually does.
- Seniority - Helps separate decision-makers from more junior employees.
- Location - Useful when your campaign targets specific markets.
- Company criteria - Industry, headcount, technology, and other information about the person’s employer.
How to copy the right URL
A simple rule works well: if removing a filter wouldn’t make the list noticeably worse, you probably don’t need that filter.
Once your Apollo search looks right, check a few results manually before exporting. Make sure the people or companies you’re seeing actually match the audience you want.
Then:
- 1 - Stay on the actual Apollo search results page.
- 2 - Click your browser’s address bar.
- 3 - Select the entire URL.
- 4 - Copy it.
- 5 - Open the matching Apollo scraper in LeadsFriday.
- 6 - Paste the URL and choose how many records you want.
- 7 - Review the pricing and submit your request.
What happens after you submit it
Make sure you copy the complete URL. Long search URLs may not appear fully visible in your browser’s address bar, but selecting the entire address will copy the full link.
Once you’ve submitted your Apollo search URL, LeadsFriday processes the export on our servers. Nothing needs to keep running in your browser.
You can close the LeadsFriday tab or shut down your laptop and the request will continue processing.
Most requests are completed within a few hours, depending on the number of records and the type of export. Very large exports can take longer.
When it’s finished, you’ll find the CSV on your LeadsFriday order page. Download it, open it in Excel or Google Sheets, and check a few rows before moving the data into your CRM or outreach workflow.
What a search URL doesn’t tell us
The URL describes your search criteria, but there are still things that can change.
The underlying Apollo dataset isn’t static. Companies hire people. Employees change jobs. Company information gets updated. New records appear and old records change.
Because of that, the number of results you see when you build a search may not always be exactly the same when the export is processed later.
That’s normal for any dataset that changes over time. The important thing is that your search criteria remain the same.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most problems with search URLs are easy to prevent.
Copying the wrong page. Make sure you’re copying the URL from the actual search results you want exported, not an unrelated Apollo page.
Copying only part of the URL. Apollo search URLs can be long. Always select the entire address before copying it.
Changing filters after copying. If you change your Apollo filters after copying the URL, copy the URL again before submitting your request.
Using the wrong LeadsFriday scraper. Apollo people searches and Apollo company searches are different. If you’re exporting people, use the Apollo Scraper. If you’re exporting companies, use the Apollo Company Scraper.
Exporting before checking your search. Don’t export 100,000 records just because Apollo says there are 100,000 matches. Open some results first. If the first 10-20 records don’t look like companies or people you’d actually want to contact, fix the search before paying to export it.
Save your searches for later
A good search is worth keeping.
If you’ve spent time building an Apollo search that accurately represents your ideal customer profile, save the URL somewhere your team can find it.
Give it a clear name, for example: US SaaS - 50-200 Employees - Marketing Leaders, or: UK Agencies - 10-50 Employees - Founders.
Next time you need data for that audience, you already have a starting point.
You can open the search, review whether the filters still make sense, make any changes you need, and submit a fresh export.
For agencies running campaigns for multiple clients, keeping a simple library of proven search URLs can save a surprising amount of time.
Try an Apollo export for free
If you haven’t used LeadsFriday yet, you don’t need to place a large Apollo export to test it.
Create your LeadsFriday account and contact us for 1,000 free lead export credits for testing.
Build the kind of Apollo search you’d actually use for a campaign, copy the URL, and run a real export.
Then download the CSV and check the data yourself.
Your Apollo search defines the audience. LeadsFriday handles the export.