Web Modernization · Recommendation

Website Search and Unified Locator: a phased path through November

Date3 September 2026
StatusFor discussion
Prepared byAxelerant delivery team
01 / 14
Where we began

How both products were planned for November

Website Search

An evolution of the search experience running on padi.com today, with enhancements to how results are presented.

Unified Locator

The current locator, improved through the user experience rather than rebuilt as a new service.

Both were planned within the existing platform, which shaped the effort and the timeline we committed to.

02 / 14
How the picture developed

Discovery sharpened what good looks like for both products

  • The product briefs for Website Search and Unified Locator set out a clearer and more ambitious definition of the experience PADI wants.
  • That is a healthy outcome of working through discovery together, and we agree with the direction.
  • It does change the shape of the build, and we want to be open with you about what that means for November.
03 / 14
The search brief

The ambition for search is a platform capability

Serving PADI's properties A dedicated search service Ingestion from several systems Natural language queries Context-aware ranking Every supported language Fast, as-you-type Helpful zero-result outcomes Extensible over time

We think this is the right destination. Each element is a build in its own right, rather than configuration of what exists today.

04 / 14
Our read

The destination is right. Reaching all of it by November would put the release under real strain.

Search and the locator are at different stages, so we have looked at each separately.

05 / 14
What the full vision needs

Three things that take time we don't have before November

  • A service, not a feature. Search of this kind needs its own ingestion and query infrastructure, drawing content from several source systems.
  • A relevance tuning cycle. Quality across every supported language is earned through observation and iteration once real queries flow.
  • Room alongside the rest of November. The remaining launch commitments are unchanged, and we want to protect them.
06 / 14
The locator

The locator is further along, and we are confident in it

  • Assessment and planning are complete, and we have an implementation approach built on Elasticsearch.
  • Two capabilities the briefs introduce — context-based search and handling of empty result sets — sit naturally with search rather than the locator.
  • We have treated them that way here, so the locator can proceed on the plan we shared at the readout.
07 / 14
Recommendation · padi.com search

Site search built on Drupal for November

What it delivers

A search results page, autocompletion, and faceted refinement — an improvement on the experience today.

What it does not yet do

Natural language understanding and context-aware ranking come later, with the dedicated search service.

It meets what padi.com needs at launch, with no new platform or integration risk in the critical window.

08 / 14
Recommendation · Unified Locator

The locator proceeds as planned, and stands the platform up

  • Built to the approach shared at the readout, with search powered by Elasticsearch on AWS.
  • One refinement: Elasticsearch is stood up as a dedicated service rather than a component inside the locator.
  • The locator becomes its first consumer. Site search and future experiences can be added without rebuilding it.
09 / 14
Platform

Why we recommend Elasticsearch for the shared service

AlgoliaElasticsearch on AWS
InvestmentMeaningful additional spend at PADI's scaleMaterially lower running cost
NovemberTimeline pressure remains, whichever platform sits underneathLocator ships, and the foundation goes live with it
Path forwardCapability arrives as one larger releaseCapability added step by step, without replatforming
Operating modelManaged by the vendorIndexing, tuning and operations sit with the team
Algolia remains a capable platform and may still be right in future. Our concern is sequencing — the investment would begin well ahead of the capability it enables.
10 / 14
Being clear with you

The trade-offs we are asking you to accept

  • Search on padi.com in November is an improvement on today, but not yet the experience described in the brief.
  • The Drupal-based search is an interim step, and is replaced once the shared service carries site search.
  • Indexing, relevance tuning and operations sit with the team rather than with a vendor, which we have planned for.

In return, November lands as committed, and nothing built now is discarded later.

11 / 14
The next phase · February

A dedicated search release, with the platform choice made together

Path A · Algolia

Expand onto Algolia, or move search to it entirely. Indicative investment of USD 75k–150k, depending on the depth of search and the level of support required.

Path B · Extend our own foundation

Build the fuller capability on the search service delivered in November. More engineering effort, but a February timeline gives us the room to do it well.

We are not asking for that decision now. February gives both paths a fair hearing, with November's foundation and real query data to inform it.

12 / 14
Beyond November

Two things we would like to work through together

In the February scope

Search across PADI's properties, natural language understanding, context-aware ranking, per-language relevance reporting, and sponsored results.

Worth aligning on

Where location search resolution should live, given the locator's main entry point is global search. And a single indexing pipeline from the Travel application serving both.

13 / 14
Next step

What we would like to confirm with you

  • padi.com search delivered on Drupal for November, as a first step.
  • Unified Locator delivered as planned, with Elasticsearch stood up as a shared service.
  • A dedicated search release in February, with the platform decision taken together nearer the time.