Editus.lu Ensures Quality Traffic & Data Protection With DataDome

Data & Content Protection

Reduced Server Load

Strengthened GDPR Compliance

Marketplaces & classifieds Scraping Tech platforms

Editus, subsidiary of the Post group, is Luxembourg’s reference database. Editus started its digital transformation several years ago, and its website now registers more than 35,000 visits a day.

Aiming to connect users and professionals (appointment booking, table booking, advice, practical guides, social features, etc.), Editus.lu’s objective is to facilitate user’s daily life in Luxembourg, while providing professionals with relevant marketing solutions.

“Being Luxembourg’s 4th largest website in terms of audience, we are committed to provide a safe and qualitative approach on all our websites. DataDome has allowed us not only to analyze our bot traffic, but also to better protect the content we publish,” said Laurent Peters, Infrastructure Manager.

The challenge: Protect online content and ensure quality traffic

Like any website, Editus.lu frequently faced the problem of scraper bots, also called “content thieves”, source of illegitimate traffic. These unwelcome visitors were clearly impacting the site’s servers, adding an unnecessary load.

As a company committed to continuous improvement, Editus chose the logical approach of adopting an effective solution to fight against malicious bots. After testing several solutions available on the market, the team finally selected DataDome’s offer which perfectly fit their needs.

“We are the reference in Luxembourg. It’s key for us not only to control the distribution of our content, but also to ensure that our website is always available, to assist our users in their daily lives.”

The solution: Traffic identification and content protection

The DataDome module was implemented in two phases. The first phase, in February 2018, consisted in setting up the DataDome module on Editus’ servers and letting the artificial intelligence analyze every entry and exit made on the website. This initial phase lasted about 2 months.

“We worked hand in hand with the DataDome teams to implement the module on our servers, and then, on allow-listing our partners. DataDome’s technical support team is always very available and close to our teams. We chose DataDome because the product meets our technical expectations, and also because there is a real connection with the team and the spirit of the company that matches our DNA.”

Following the analysis phase, which allowed Editus to better understand the various issues, the DataDome protection was activated, allowing them to classify bots and implement the necessary measures to clean up the website’s traffic.

For the protection phase, Editus chose to proceed in two steps, given the significant number of partners with whom they collaborate. Initially, all commercial bots were allowed to browse the website, enabling the teams to list them and to assess their legitimacy. Only as a second step did Editus choose to allow- or block-list different bots, setting up CAPTCHA verification for users crawling the website too frequently, and above all, apply their own Custom Rules.

The Explore view and the Custom Rules provide us with more autonomy in managing our traffic and allow us to perfectly optimize our use of the tool without having to rely on the support.

Laurent Peters, Infrastructure Manager at Editus

The technical team regularly consult the dashboards, providing them with a quick overview every time a problem is detected (slowdown for example) and enables them to take necessary measures in real time.

The results: Qualified traffic and reduced server load

After six months in operation, the results are striking. DataDome enabled a significant reduction in resource consumption: Editus estimates a 15% server load reduction, thanks to being able to control bot traffic. Brute force attacks are immediately detected and controlled, and Editus benefits from perfect visibility of their website traffic.

“We are satisfied with the results we have achieved. We are planning to integrate the DataDome protection into our mobile app mid-2019,” concludes Laurent Peters.