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Case Study:
Case Study: Discovery Communications and the Google Search Appliance
Overview
Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI) is a leading media and entertainment
company. From the launch of Discovery Channel in the U.S. in 1985, DCI
now has operations in 152 countries with 180 million total subscribers.
DCI's 33 networks of distinctive programming represent 14 entertainment
brands, including TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health
Channel, Discovery Kids, and a family of digital channels. Other DCI
properties include Discovery.com and 165 Discovery Channel retail stores.
DCI also distributes BBC America in the United States. Challenge
Discovery hosts sites for each of its 14 channels featuring schedules
and information for each series and program. These information-packed
sites are comprised of some 60,000 files, which garner 120,000 search
queries a day.
A previous search product was difficult for the Discovery web team to
maintain, because it required extensive resources in order to update
relevancy algorithms when new content was added to the network. Even
with significant optimization, the search results were not effective,
and it was widely believed that Discovery users limited their page views
as a result. This third-party solution also made it difficult to add
new content in order to insure its freshness on the site.
Things got to a point where
the Discovery web team needed to make a change in order to get simplified
search maintenance, more useful search
results, and better control of the site’s content.
Solution
“The Google Search Appliance is easier to set up than your home PC,” says
IT Department Representative Patrick Gardella. And, adds Carl Lewin,
Web Developer, “Deployment was straightforward – there was
nothing to it.” He adds that the appliance easily incorporates
three data libraries (collections) into one, so that a single search
returns an integrated set of relevant results. For example, Discovery.com
can now deliver results based on the user’s path -- Animal Planet
viewers see Animal Planet results on top, in addition to TV program listings
and Discovery Store product links.
Discovery also uses Google’s keymatch feature to suggest “Editor’s
Picks,” search results reflecting the most popular search queries.
Carl Lewin also appreciates the spellcheck feature. “No matter
how someone spells ‘hippopotamus,’ we can recommend the correct
spelling and appropriate links to information,” he says.
Perhaps best of all, says
Patrick Gardella, “the Google Search
Appliance requires very little maintenance. It’s so easy to use
and manage, we sometimes can’t believe it.”
Results
Not
only have pageviews increased, says Mark Irwin. The number of daily
searches has grown 70 percent
based on the value of searching with Google. “More
people are finding information they need, which means they stay longer
to read, search further, and shop,” says Irwin. “Users are
familiar with how to use Google,” says Patrick Gardella. Adding
the Google logo to the bottom of our pages “gives people more confidence
in search results,” adds Carl Lewin.
“We’ve been very happy with Google,” says Mark Irwin. “It’s
reliable, has lived up to its promise, and works very well in our environment.”
Click here to read
about more Google Search Appliance customer implementations. |
