Transforming Global Genealogy Research with Advanced Multilingual Search
About the Client
Our client is a worldwide leader in genealogy, helping millions uncover family histories through extensive historical records and multilingual tools. Their platform serves diverse users across web and mobile, making it easier than ever to explore heritage connections.
Project Context
The client relied on traditional relational databases to power record lookups. However, these systems struggled to return results even when records existed — failing under the weight of complex joins, mixed data sources, and the fine-grain searches needed to trace family histories. This meant users often hit dead ends, unable to find vital links buried deep in vast directories.
Adding to the challenge:
- Multilingual demands: Searches needed to work seamlessly across 14 languages.
- Low relevance: Basic database lookups couldn’t understand name variants or historical spelling shifts, hurting discovery.
- Strict compliance: French language standards were mandatory for Canadian operations.
- Massive scale: Required lightning-fast queries across 300 million+ family records, without performance dips.
The client engaged Elasticsearch Experts to overhaul their entire search experience, moving from legacy database constraints to a modern, intelligent Elasticsearch solution.
Project Objectives
Deliver deeply relevant, multilingual search that understands genealogy nuances.
Meet regional compliance, including French accessibility laws.
Achieve rapid search performance over hundreds of millions of records.
Our Solution
Multilingual and ancestry-focused search
Implemented Elasticsearch with over 20 specialized language extensions, built to interpret name variations, old records, and cultural spelling shifts.
Rich relevance tuning
Created a custom scoring model using 30+ signals, factoring in lineage links, document recency, and user engagement to surface the most meaningful results.
Historic data enrichment
Engineered pipelines to tag and index legacy records with multilingual metadata, making centuries-old documents searchable like modern data.
High-speed architecture
Optimized indexing and queries for sub-second results, no matter the volume or geographic scope.
Business Outcomes
- Enabled robust, accurate search across 14 languages and 5 regions, vastly improving user satisfaction.
- Provided instant access to over 300 million genealogical records, unlocking family stories that were previously hidden.
- Achieved full compliance with Canadian and global language regulations.
- Delivered a more engaging, intuitive discovery experience — driving up subscriptions and long-term loyalty.
Elasticsearch Experts continues to support the client with advanced analytics, AI-driven ancestry insights, and ongoing enhancements, keeping their platform a leader in global family history exploration.