When Search Becomes the Story
Algolia turned calendar search from 10 seconds to under half a second.
Overview
On a project this size, launch-critical pieces like donations, media and the program catalog came first. Calendar search wasn’t the top priority.
After go-live, real usage surfaced the pain: loading a list of retreats or classes took 10 seconds, and the Executive Director and Board zeroed in on it.
We’d solved this kind of bottleneck before with Algolia, a purpose-built search engine that thrives on complex content models. So we brought it in, hooked it up, and gave Spirit Rock users the millisecond-fast discovery experience they expected.
10 secs
Search time before Algolia
< 0.5 secs
Search time after Algolia
20x
Same content, new engine, 20x faster
Why was search a problem?
Even the best CMS search crumples when content spans a dozen interrelated types: retreats, teachers, formats, affinity groups, locations, durations, you name it.
Each piece has nested data, tags, and categories.
That complexity is normal, but it’s beyond what a CMS’s default search handles well at speed. That’s why specialized tools exist.
How Algolia fixes it
Algolia ingests every record via API, builds a lightning-fast index, and serves results in sub-second time.
We wired it to Spirit Rock’s Craft CMS, mapped filters for program type, venue, length, cost tier, and more, then layered on an instantaneous search UI.
Users type, toggle, or scroll and see updated results before their cursor stops blinking.
Search Isn’t Plumbing, It’s Infrastructure
Complex organizations need a search engine that respects their data model and their users’ patience. Algolia delivers both.
Smooth Rollout, Zero Downtime
We staged, tested, and shipped the integration during a low-traffic window.
The live site never blinked. Minutes after launch, staff and visitors could finally filter retreats by location, duration, or teacher without waiting. The only thing anyone noticed was the speed.
“
Solspace has been instrumental in helping me justify and secure strategic marketing and technology investments from our leadership, and they deliver on their promises and act as true partners.
Tony Samour
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Field Notes
Specialized tech matters.
Complex search isn’t a CMS checkbox; it’s its own discipline.
Speed drives trust.
Sub-second results equal happier users and fewer support tickets.
Focus fixes fires.
A targeted upgrade solved the issue without re-architecting the whole site.
Tired of “Good Enough” Search?
If your site search makes users wait, you’re losing them. Let’s talk about an Algolia or Meilisearch upgrade that clears the pipes, fast.