Sortlist.com Business Search Scraper: Extract Agency and Service Provider Data

Understanding Sortlist.com and Its Value for Business Intelligence

Sortlist.com operates as a curated marketplace connecting businesses with verified agencies across marketing, design, development, and digital services. Unlike generic directories, Sortlist pre-vets agencies, collects detailed service portfolios, and aggregates client reviews, making it a trusted resource for companies seeking professional service providers.

The platform hosts thousands of agencies globally, each with comprehensive profiles including service specializations, industry expertise, geographic coverage, team size, and verified client reviews. For B2B lead generation, competitive intelligence, or market research, Sortlist provides structured, high-quality data about the digital services ecosystem.

Manually collecting agency information across multiple searches, service categories, and locations requires extensive time navigating pages and copying data. The Sortlist.com Business Search Scraper automates this process, transforming search results into structured datasets ready for sales prospecting, market analysis, or partnership development.

What This Scraper Extracts and Who Should Use It

The Sortlist.com Business Search Scraper processes search result pages, extracting multiple agency listings from each page. This approach efficiently captures broad datasets across different service categories, locations, or specializations without requiring individual agency URLs.

The scraper captures essential agency information including unique identifiers, founding dates, service offerings, geographic coverage areas, social media profiles, headquarters location, and review data. This combination of firmographic and social data enables comprehensive agency analysis.

Target Users:

Sales and Marketing Teams building prospect lists of agencies for software, tools, or partnership opportunities. Recruitment Agencies identifying growing agencies that may need talent acquisition services. Market Researchers analyzing agency landscapes, service trends, and geographic concentrations. Business Development Professionals finding potential partners, competitors, or acquisition targets. Entrepreneurs researching market gaps and competitive positioning before launching their own agencies.

Input Configuration: Targeting Search Results

The scraper processes Sortlist search result pages—the listings you see after applying filters for services, locations, or other criteria.

Example Input Configuration:

{
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  },
  "max_items_per_url": 20,
  "ignore_url_failures": true,
  "urls": [
    "https://www.sortlist.com/cartoon-design?page=2"
  ]
}

Example Screenshot:

Parameter Explanation:

proxy: Set to false if Sortlist doesn't require proxy rotation. Enable (useApifyProxy: true) if you experience blocking or need residential IPs for reliability.

max_items_per_url: Number of agencies to extract per search page. Sortlist typically displays 20-30 results per page, so setting this to 20 captures most listings while allowing room for variation.

ignore_url_failures: When true, failed URLs won't stop the entire scraping run—essential when processing multiple search pages where some might be temporarily unavailable.

urls: Search result page URLs from Sortlist. These follow patterns like https://www.sortlist.com/[service-category]?page=[N]. Build URL lists by performing searches on Sortlist, then copying the result page URLs with pagination parameters.

Building Search URLs: Navigate to Sortlist, apply filters (services, location, budget, team size), then copy the URL. To scrape multiple pages, increment the page parameter: ?page=1, ?page=2, etc. For comprehensive datasets, create multiple URLs with different service categories or locations.

Complete Output Structure and Field Definitions

ID: Unique identifier assigned by Sortlist to each agency. Use: Primary key for databases, tracking agencies over time, avoiding duplicates.

Slug: URL-friendly version of agency name (e.g., "creative-design-studio-nyc"). Use: Constructing direct profile URLs, alternative identifier, SEO-friendly references.

Founded At: Year the agency was established. Use: Analyzing agency maturity, filtering by experience level, identifying emerging vs. established players, market entry timing analysis.

Prospect Areas: Geographic regions where agency operates or targets clients (e.g., ["North America", "Europe"]). Use: Geographic segmentation, identifying local vs. international agencies, market coverage analysis.

Services: Array of service categories offered (e.g., ["Branding", "Web Design", "Digital Marketing"]). Use: Service-based filtering, identifying full-service vs. specialized agencies, market gap analysis.

Tagline: Brief agency description or value proposition. Use: Quick agency positioning understanding, competitive messaging analysis, keyword extraction for categorization.

Social Profiles: Object containing social media URLs (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). Use: Social media outreach, brand presence analysis, engagement metrics research, contact discovery.

Main Office: Headquarters location with city and country details. Use: Geographic clustering analysis, local market identification, proximity-based targeting.

Reviews: Review data including ratings, count, and potentially review text. Use: Quality assessment, reputation analysis, client satisfaction benchmarking, filtering high-performing agencies.

Sample Output:

[
  {
  "id": "6QPWr1g5fkkZ07_RezlliClIAYz69C10k6ARkSO0Tu72fC5QNgVe-7shdFkKXngyBEpZgQ",
  "slug": "urala-communications",
  "founded_at": "2017-01-01",
  "prospect_areas": {
    "__typename": "ProspectAreaConnection",
    "nodes": [
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Tokyo, Japan"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Toranomon, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Jakarta, Indonesia"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Tokyo, Japan"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "KAFD, Al Aqiq, Riyadh Saudi Arabia"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Osaka, Japan"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Kyoto, Japan"
      },
      {
        "__typename": "ProspectArea",
        "address": "Sydney NSW, Australia"
      }
    ]
  },
  "services": {
    "__typename": "ServiceConnection",
    "nodes": [
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We cover content marketing, digital marketing, social media management, influencer marketing, performance marketing, creative development etc.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Digital Strategy",
          "category": "advertising"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We are an independent media solutions, creative agency + advertising group with offices across Asia-Pacific.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Public Relations (PR)",
          "category": "advertising"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We have helped a number of intenational clients on the full gamut of event services in Asia-Pacific, covering event planning, sourcing, staffing, interpretation, translation, logistics, production, emcees, event run-through, videography, photography. The types of events we have managed include: national and regional level conferences for corporates and soverign entities.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Event",
          "category": "advertising"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "Our core expertise including media planning and buying, having acted on behalf of more than 50 clients on identifying and optimizing their media campaigns.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Advertising",
          "category": "advertising"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We have substantial, ongoing experience with incubating and managing social media accounts for clients in Japan, Indoenesia, Philippines and Vietnam, in the tech, F&B, bio lifesytle sectors.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Social Media",
          "category": "advertising"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We are an independent media solutions, creative agency + advertising group with offices across Asia-Pacific.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Video Production",
          "category": "creative"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We are an independent media solutions, creative agency + advertising group with offices across Asia-Pacific.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Branding & Positioning",
          "category": "creative"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We are an independent media solutions, creative agency + advertising group with offices across Asia-Pacific.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Website Creation",
          "category": "development"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We are an independent media solutions, creative agency + advertising group with offices across Asia-Pacific.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Online Advertising",
          "category": "advertising"
        }
      },
      {
        "__typename": "Service",
        "description": "We are an independent media solutions, creative agency + advertising group with offices across Asia-Pacific.",
        "budget": [
          1000,
          1000000
        ],
        "expertise": {
          "__typename": "Expertise",
          "name": "Media Planning",
          "category": "advertising"
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "tagline": "Marketing + PR Agency for Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, the Middle East",
  "social_profiles": {
    "__typename": "SocialProfiles",
    "facebook": null,
    "instagram": null,
    "linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/urala-international",
    "pinterest": null,
    "vimeo": null,
    "x": null,
    "youtube": null
  },
  "main_office": {
    "__typename": "Office",
    "address": "Toranomon Hills Business Tower, 1-chōme-17 Toranomon, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan",
    "locality": {
      "__typename": "Location",
      "geometry": "POLYGON ((139.5629047 35.8175168, 139.9198565 35.8175168, 139.9198565 35.5208632, 139.5629047 35.5208632, 139.5629047 35.8175168))",
      "name": "Tokyo",
      "country_iso31661": "JP",
      "currency": null
    }
  },
  "reviews": null,
  "from_url": "https://www.sortlist.com/cartoon-design?page=2"
}
]

Step-by-Step Usage Guide

1. Define Target Agencies: Determine which agency types you need—service categories (design, development, marketing), locations (specific cities/countries), or characteristics (size, founding date range).

2. Create Search URLs: Perform test searches on Sortlist with your desired filters. Copy the resulting URLs. For multi-page extraction, create URL variations with page parameters.

3. Configure Input: Build your JSON with collected URLs. Set max_items_per_url based on desired coverage (20 for standard pages). Enable ignore_url_failures for robustness.

4. Execute Scraper: Launch through Apify console. Monitor real-time progress. Scraping 10 search pages typically completes in 2-4 minutes.

5. Review Data: Check dataset preview for completeness. Verify critical fields (ID, services, location) are populated correctly.

6. Export and Analyze: Export in your preferred format—JSON for CRM integration, CSV for spreadsheet analysis, or Excel for business reporting.

Error Handling: If URLs fail consistently, verify they're search result pages with valid filters. Check that service category names in URLs match Sortlist's current taxonomy. Review activity logs for specific error details.

Strategic Applications for Business Development

Lead Generation: Build targeted prospect lists of agencies matching your ideal customer profile. Filter by services, location, and founding date to identify agencies likely to need your products or services.

Competitive Intelligence: Monitor competitor positioning by analyzing which agencies offer similar services in your markets. Track service combinations, geographic expansion patterns, and messaging strategies.

Partnership Development: Identify complementary agencies for referral partnerships or white-label collaborations. Services data reveals which agencies might benefit from your specialized offerings.

Market Sizing: Calculate agency density by service category and location. Identify underserved markets with high demand but few providers—opportunities for market entry.

Recruitment Research: Track growing agencies (recent founding dates, expanding service offerings) that may need hiring support. Social profiles provide direct outreach channels.

Client Acquisition (for Agencies): If you're an agency, identify non-competing agencies for subcontracting opportunities or collaborative projects based on complementary service offerings.

Investment Analysis: For investors or acquirers, build comprehensive databases of potential targets filtered by services, location, reviews, and founding date.

Maximizing Data Value: Best Practices

Regular Updates: Agency landscapes evolve—new agencies launch, services expand, offices relocate. Schedule monthly scraping to maintain current data.

Segment Your Searches: Create targeted URL sets by service vertical (e.g., "branding agencies", "SEO services", "app development"). Segmented data is easier to analyze and action.

Enrich with External Data: Combine Sortlist data with LinkedIn company pages for employee counts, Crunchbase for funding information, or website scrapers for tech stack analysis.

Quality Filters: Implement post-scraping filters based on reviews (minimum rating thresholds), founding date (exclude very new agencies if seeking established partners), or service count (full-service vs. specialized).

Geographic Analysis: Map agencies by location to identify clustering (tech hubs like San Francisco, creative centers like London) and geographic gaps.

Temporal Tracking: Scrape same searches over time. Track new agency appearances, service portfolio changes, and review score trends to identify growing players.

Social Verification: Cross-reference social profile activity levels. Active social presence may indicate engaged, marketing-savvy agencies more likely to respond to outreach.

Data Governance and Compliance

Respect Rate Limits: While scraper handles technical aspects, avoid overwhelming Sortlist with excessive concurrent requests. Space out large scraping operations.

Privacy Considerations: Social profiles and contact information are publicly available but should be used ethically. Follow anti-spam regulations (CAN-SPAM, GDPR) when using data for outreach.

Data Freshness: Always timestamp your scraped data. Agency information changes—mark records with collection date to understand data currency.

Validation: Implement checks for missing critical fields. Flag records with incomplete data for manual review or re-scraping.

Storage Security: If storing agency data, implement appropriate security measures, especially if combining with internally sourced contact details.

Conclusion

The Sortlist.com Business Search Scraper transforms the leading agency marketplace into actionable business intelligence. Whether building sales pipelines, researching competitors, or analyzing market opportunities in digital services, this tool delivers structured data at scale. Extract agency insights efficiently and gain competitive advantage in the B2B services ecosystem.