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

# Filtering in lobstr.io: geo, category, and data cleansing

> lobstr.io filters scraping results at the crawl level so you only keep — and pay for — leads that match your criteria. Filtering behaves differently depending on the scraper.

Search engines and professional networks don't always return exactly what you ask for. Google Maps can surface businesses from the wrong city or category. LinkedIn Sales Navigator can include leads that don't match your selected industry, company size, or seniority filters. lobstr.io addresses this with built-in filtering that runs at the crawling level — before results reach your output file — so your data is clean from the start.

<Note>
  Filtering happens automatically. You don't need to clean your data manually after a run — lobstr.io handles it during the scrape itself.
</Note>

Filtering works differently depending on which scraper you use. Pick yours:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Google Maps" icon="map-location-dot" href="/guides/google-maps/filtering">
    Geo Match and Category Match keep only the businesses inside your location and category — and skip the rest before you're billed.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sales Navigator" icon="linkedin" href="/guides/sales-navigator/filtering">
    Match Filters flag leads that don't fit your industry, company size, or seniority, and Data Cleansing tidies up messy profile names.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>