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Challenge Solution Product Benefit Mark Irwin, |
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.
The 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.
The 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.”
About the Google Search Appliance
The Google Search Appliance is an integrated corporate search solution that
extends Google’s award-winning search technology to intranets and
websites. The Google Search Appliance is available in three models: the
GB-1001 for departments and mid-sized companies; the GB-5005 for dedicated,
high-priority search services such as customer-facing websites and company-wide
intranet applications; and the GB-8008 for centralized deployments supporting
global business units. For more information, visit http://www.google.com/appliance/.
Contact sales for more information.
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