Their Best Search Yet – Over 20 Million Searches A Month Powered by The Alfresco Web Content Management System

In a nutshell:

Yell.com is a leading UK local business search engine, providing access to classified business information, including business websites, addresses, phone numbers and detailed local maps. It provides a way to find businesses or services online using keywords: type of business, or company name and location as search criteria. Yell.com wanted to improve the efficiency of its website content publishing platform, whilst also expanding the range of comprehensive information it provides to its users. This aspiration had to be achieved in the context of catering for a very high volume of traffic – approximately 20 million searches a month. Yell.com reviewed a whole range of different content management systems (CMS) and ultimately selected the Alfresco open source web content management (WCM) as the most appropriate CMS to meet its needs. Additionally, Yell.com selected Ixxus as its chosen systems integration partner, helping it to get the best out of the product. Ixxus has a clear information management focus and unparalleled UK expertise in Alfresco implementations. The main brief was to increase the speed and publishing performance of the Yell.com web content publishing platform.

Users were connecting with the right business advertisers for their needs, but as part of a programme of developments; Yell.com was adding a wealth of additional vertical content from third parties such as related articles or videos. Ixxus consultants brought their in-depth knowledge of Alfresco open source WCM to deliver dramatic improvements to publishing performance and deliver a more dynamic website that was fit for purpose.

In 60 seconds:

Client

Launched in 1996, Yell.com is the UK’s local business search engine and a major online advertising medium for small and medium sized enterprises. Yell.com provides consumers with a direct and effective route to finding a business or service online using keyword, type of business, or company name and location as search criteria. Consumers can review relevant search results and quickly determine the right business for their needs based on detailed advertiser information and rich, vertical content to better help them make a decision. Yell.com’s up to date, comprehensive and trusted database of over two million UK business listings including 195,000 searchable advertisers (June 2010) can be accessed via the web site (www.yell.com), through web browsers on all mobile phones and a downloadable application available on a wide range of mobile devices. Yell.com also provides sophisticated, zoom-enabled maps to help consumers locate its SME advertisers, and provides other features such as walking and driving directions, closest car parks and street views.

Project’s purpose

The project’s purpose was to customise its content publishing platform using Alfresco WCM, to improve speed, performance and the user experience for the internal Yell.com editorial teams. Additionally they required improved feeds of third party vertical content for the website. This was achieved by an Alfresco XML platform integrated with the core Alfresco content repository.

Main objectives

The objectives were to enhance the publishing performance of the site and enrich the core business directory service by integrating rich vertical content from other publishers and specialised web search results. This in turn helps users make better purchasing decisions and stay longer on the site.

Core audiences

Yell.com’s content publishing platform is used mainly by editorial staff to publish data and rich related category content to the Yell.com website. The website is used by advertisers (i.e. small and medium sized enterprises, trades people, etc) and users searching for these services.

Project length

The initial engagement to deliver a more efficient and dynamic website was for four months in 2009. Ixxus was then appointed to deliver a further follow-up engagement in 2010 to implement searching enhancements and image management.

Why?

Yell.com appointed Ixxus as a very reputable Alfresco systems integrator. It could trust Ixxus to work closely with its in-house development team and address the speed and performance issues of its website publishing process. An architect at Yell.com had identified Alfresco open source WCM early on for its ease of access to source code for each release and for its scalability. However, it simply wasn’t performing as it could be with the functionality it needed. Because Alfresco is open source, there are no upfront software licensing costs. This delivers more cost efficiency. Ixxus could spend Yell.com’s budget wisely – on really good customisation and developing specific functionality for them. In short, Ixxus successfully fitted Alfresco to Yell.com’s needs rather than the other way round.

In ten minutes

Yell.com

Launched in 1996, Yell.com is the UK’s local business search engine and a major online advertising medium for small and medium sized businesses. Yell.com provides users with a direct and effective route to finding a business or service online using keywords: type of business, or company name and location as search criteria. Consumers can review relevant search results and quickly determine the right business for their needs based on detailed advertiser information and, more recently, through added rich, vertical content to better help them make a decision.

In recent years, the business has been radically shifting its strategy to better compete in a content-rich world by an ongoing programme of developments to its website and related services. The developments, including expandable listings, rich vertical search content and enhanced advertiser tools, are aimed at driving traffic to Yell.com and at helping to generate additional business leads for Yell.com’s advertisers.

To achieve this more dynamic site, Ixxus was engaged initially to enhance and improve the web publishing performance which was already using Alfresco open source WCM. Then, in 2010, Ixxus was engaged for a further project to deliver image management; including enabling enhanced tools for advertisers such as the addition of photos to directory listings, using Alfresco image management. Ixxus also improved search performance, employing Lucene open source search technology.

The challenges

• It was taking up to four hours to publish automatic feeds of third party content. The challenge was to significantly enhance performance by reducing the time taken to integrate both content feeds and publish user authored articles on the content publishing platform.
• To improve the editorial environment for those using the WCM publishing system.
• To deliver a richer experience for the Yell.com user, making the static dynamic and making the site stickier through efficient integration of third party content.
• To improve website image management, to enable more detailed advertiser descriptions, including photos of business and products.
• To provide more intelligent search for the website.

What Ixxus did - dramatic improvement to publishing performance

Ixxus initially addressed the speed and usability issues. Their first step was to run workshops with Yell.com internal users to identify where difficulties and bottlenecks were arising in the editorial environment. This included mapping user journeys. Ixxus streamlined workflow and identified repeat keying. The internal user experience of publishing content was improved by gaining a thorough understanding with a cross section of users through task based scenarios and user journeys, producing better custom workflow and customer user interface (CUI).

Ixxus initially advised on the content architecture and then, as part of the development team, concentrated on performance enhancements. During the engagement, two Ixxus architects became part of the sprint team of eight from Yell.com, which included a scrum master, designers and Java developers. Delivering in an agile project management fashion, the team ran daily scrums, and regular four-week sprint cycle bursts to clear development backlogs. Together, the joint Yell.com/Ixxus team was able to make dramatic improvements to the publishing performance of the site.

Ixxus played an important role in integrating the XML feeds from third party sources by re-designing the back-end platform, enabling it to handle many more content sources and types. Alfresco XML platform is integrated with the core Alfresco content repository, and relevant feeds are automatically pulled from the repository as the user puts keywords into the main website directory. For example, consumers searching for doctors are not purely presented with directory contact names and addresses. They are also offered related content such as advice articles, tips and guides from the NHS or netdoctor.co.uk.

• Speed of throughput was significantly improved. For example, the time taken to integrate a block of 600 external feeds was reduced from four hours to a matter of minutes.
• Editorial user interface customisations boosted usability of the editorial environment making the content publishing platform more efficient and intuitive to use.

During the second engagement in 2010, Ixxus used Alfresco Image Management to manage images including advertiser images. Part of Yell.com’s wider Advertising Tools Programme enables advertisers to provide enhanced listings options with richer and more detailed descriptions including photos, logos, maps and videos. The image management system pulls an image of a shop-front or product for example, into a capsule to display in a pop-up link. Ixxus also improved search performance using Lucene open source text search engine

Why open source? Flexible, scalable, cheaper, faster

Alfresco is the leading open source alternative for enterprise content management. It is a full enterprise system, but it’s five times faster than traditional closed systems and ten times cheaper. Add to this, the fact that the open source model allows systems integrators like Ixxus to use best of breed open source technologies and have high quality input from the open source community and the benefits are clear

Summary of key benefits

No upfront licensing fees

• Extensive scalability
• Significantly reduced development costs through free community participation
• Lower support and maintenance costs
• Pay-as-you-go support and training
• High levels of innovation and flexibility
• A scalable business model that can be modified to meet changing requirements

Why Yell.com chose Ixxus and Alfresco

Ixxus was one of Alfresco’s earliest partners in the UK, having delivered websites and portals to a wide range of commercial and public sector organisations. Yell.com had already chosen Alfresco because of its reputation for award winning open source software. But they chose Ixxus to really get the best out of it. Ixxus has a reputation for delivering intelligent content management and innovative and agile project management. Ixxus worked closely with the Yell.com development team to explore architecture, and custom workflow in the editorial environment before any re-design or customisation of the publishing platform.

Doug Ray, CTO, Yell.com commented on Ixxus:

“We selected Ixxus because of their pedigree in the Alfresco world. We have been extremely impressed with the quality, competence and attitude of the Ixxus team. We look forward to a long term working relationship with Ixxus going forward.”

The business benefits

• Internal efficiencies were realised by a significant reduction in the time taken to publish both external feeds and internal articles to the content publishing platform
• Aligning Yell.com’s technology to support their business strategy of developing third party content partnerships and other ongoing developments in a content rich world
• A competitive, dynamic website with an improved search experience
• Generating additional sales leads for advertisers by engaging consumers for longer on the site

Going forward

As with all implementations, Ixxus provide ongoing support and training through a comprehensive support contract. Alfresco integrates well with both proprietary and best-of-breed open source products, and the integration of Lucene open source text search engine is just one such example.

Partnerships with vertical content providers continue to be important for a dynamic Yell.com website going forward. Alfresco WCM, customised and integrated with a re-designed back-end xml platform, enables the efficient integration with a range of content. One such example was the agreement with Video Jug, a major specialist producer of short-form video content, for the addition on the site of thousands of “how to” consumer videos. Yell also unveiled 19 new microsites at the end of 2009 to integrate extensive consumer advice and information to its local business search experience. Users can get ideas and tips from a mix of Yell bloggers and web-based information sources on “vertical” sectors including solicitors, gardening, motoring and plumbing.

Offering advertisers innovative content packages and consumers enhanced third party content, helps to drive traffic to the site. This in turn generates additional sales leads for advertisers and supports Yell in their aim of being the best provider of business leads for small and medium sized enterprises in the UK.

Graeme Seaton Architect, Yell.com commented:

“What Ixxus has delivered using Alfresco, gave us an innovative and efficient content publishing platform for our website. It has helped us to relaunch our site and supports our ongoing programme of developments to offer UK consumers a rich local search experience.”

About:

Ixxus

Based in London, Ixxus is a leading consultancy and system integration company specialising in information management solutions. Now a platinum partner, Ixxus was one of Alfresco’s earliest partners in the UK and has the largest Alfresco installed base in the country.

Ixxus help their clients to use their information intelligently to maximize the value of their content. They design, build, manage and support content-rich websites, document management systems, intranets and portals to some of the world’s largest commercial organisations and to both Central and Local Government in the UK. The team is made up of proven specialists, bringing a wealth of technical and commercial experience to projects. Their approach is independent and refreshingly pragmatic. They help shape the brief, define the priorities and grapple with legacy content and other factors in the system before suggesting solutions.

Whilst the Ixxus team has worked for or with most of the leading content management solutions, currently, they currently specialise in two. Alfresco for open source enterprise content and MarkLogic, a new breed of search solution that stores content in granular parts so, in effect, a document becomes a database. They have built strategic relationships with both partners and, together, have delivered a number of project firsts in the UK. What does that mean? In short, Ixxus can get things done that others can’t!

Yell.com

Launched in 1996, Yell.com is the UK’s local business search engine and a major online advertising medium for small and medium sized enterprises. Yell.com provides consumers with a direct and effective route to finding a business or service online using keyword: type of business, or company name and location as search criteria.

Consumers can review relevant search results and quickly determine the right business for their needs based on detailed advertiser information and rich, vertical content to better help them make a decision. Yell.com’s up to date, comprehensive and trusted database of over two million UK business listings including 195,000 searchable advertisers (June 2010) can be accessed via the web site (www.yell.com); through web browsers on all mobile phones, and a downloadable application available on a wide range of mobile devices.

Yell.com also provides sophisticated, zoom-enabled maps to help consumers locate its SME advertisers, and provides other features such as walking and driving directions, closest car parks and street views.

Yell.com is part of Yell, a leading international directories business, operating in classified advertising markets in the UK, US, Spain and Latin America through printed, online and telephone-based media. Yell’s principal brands include: in the UK, Yellow Pages, Yell.com and 118 24 7; in the US, Yellow Book and Yellowbook.com; and in Spain, Paginas Amarillas and PaginasAmarillas.es. All these brands are trademarks.

Alfresco

Alfresco (www.alfresco.com) is the open platform for social content management. The platform combines the innovation of open source with the stability of a true enterprise-class platform, at a tenth of the cost of legacy ECM solutions. The Alfresco content platform uses a flexible architecture to provide document management, web content management, records management and social collaboration to customers and partners in 40 countries. Headquartered in London, Alfresco was founded in 2005 by a team of content management veterans including the co-founder of Documentum, John Newton, and former COO of Business Objects, John Powell.