Website Categorization Database: IAB 3.1 content categories for domains

Our Website Categorization Database is…

• Detailed

  Each category comes in three formats: a readable tier path, a canonical IAB ID, and OpenRTB/AdCOM IDs. Every row also has a domain status.

• Extensive

  The database covers more than 180 million domains, with categories up to four tiers deep in the IAB Content Taxonomy v3.1.

• Transparent

  Every categorized row shows which model or rule produced the label and its raw score, and most also have a calibrated score.

Website Categorization Database benefits

• Industry-standard taxonomy

  Categories follow the IAB Content Taxonomy v3.1: 704 categories across four tiers, ready to map onto ad-tech and filtering systems.

• Two file formats

  Use CSV for quick imports and spreadsheets, or Parquet for columnar storage and fast queries in your data warehouse.

• Per-file manifests

  Every file ships with a manifest, so you can check that each download is complete before loading it.

• No rate limits

  Query the data locally as often as you like, with higher speeds than an API could offer.

Questions data teams ask

What’s in the Website Categorization Database?

Each row is one domain, with its categories from the IAB Content Taxonomy v3.1 and confidence scores where available. Each weekly snapshot covers more than 180 million domains, and more than 100 million of them come with a category. A category can go up to four tiers deep. Parked, inactive and dead domains still appear in the file with their domain status, just without a category.

What taxonomy does the database use?

The Website Categorization Database uses the IAB Content Taxonomy v3.1, the industry standard most ad-tech and brand-safety platforms have moved to. It includes all 704 categories across four tiers, from broad topics such as Technology & Computing down to more specific ones.

Which file formats are available?

You can choose compressed CSV or Parquet, whichever fits your setup. Every file comes with a manifest that includes a checksum, so you can confirm a download arrived intact before you load it.

How often is the database updated?

You get a full snapshot every week, plus a daily file with just the rows that changed. That way you can rebuild from scratch whenever you like, or keep your copy current day to day.

Does the database include malware or phishing categories?

No. The database describes what a website is about, not whether it’s dangerous, so a content category should never be read as a threat verdict. For threat data, see our Threat Intelligence Data Feeds.

Still have questions? Contact us.