Web Development & Outsourcing · EdTech & Publishing · UK
Connell Guides: Drupal 7 performance, security and UX
Connell Guides' subscription site on Drupal 7 suffered performance bottlenecks, spam registrations and XSS. We upgraded core/modules, added Captcha, improved responsive UI and migrated domains — under original budget.
Client context
Connell Guides sells literary guidebooks and a digital subscription (e-books, discussions, video) to students. An earlier vendor built Drupal 7; growth was blocked by security incidents and sluggish UX.
Challenge
Spam accounts and XSS threatened the subscription business; bounce rate and mobile experience hurt conversion; budget was fixed.
What we did
- Updated Drupal core and modules; Captcha and XSS remediation.
- Refactored HTML to Bootstrap-aligned responsive layouts.
- Migrated domain, configured GA, roles/permissions for subscription tiers.
- Backend reliability pass alongside front-end UX improvements.
Process
- Security-first sprint (core, Captcha, XSS).
- Front-end structure and responsive pass.
- Analytics and subscription permission model.
- Launch and monitoring.
Result and impact
Delivered 18% under budget; bounce rate cut to ~4%; on-page engagement +14%; business expanded revenue on improved platform stability.
4% bounce rate after relaunch
Students stay on the site now — it feels like a product, not a brochure.Connell Guides team (from case materials)