How to Make your Website Sustainable

July 26, 2022

Sustainability is something that many companies are making a big push for this year, but one that gets missed is web design. It is possible to create an eco-friendly website, and this could be an important factor especially if being eco-friendly is your selling point.

At the moment around 4% of global carbon emissions are produced from the internet, and this figure is always rising due to our data usage.

You may not realise it but there are many ways a website can be sustainable, generally a website should be:

• Powered by renewables
• Uses less energy to browse
• Promotes accessibility and privacy
• Helps to rebuild communities and the environment

We don’t want this to sound like a hard process to do, there are so many simple ways for you to reduce your carbon footprint! These tips focus on reducing the energy required for users to use your website, while also making sure that it’s come from a green-conscious environment.

• Limit your video content

Videos are one of the largest, most consuming type of media you can use on your website. So trying to limit the amount you use can be really beneficial as it could mean that your website uses less data. However, if you really need to use videos, it could be worth disabling autoplay.

• Compress your images!

Compressing your images, is a super easy and should be something you do every time you upload new images. If your website is run through WordPress then you should be able to find multiple image compression plugins that can help reduce your page weight.

• Switch to Renewables

Choosing a green web hosting solution could be your best choice to switch to a more renewable website, and can be a big step towards becoming more eco-friendly. You should focus on looking for a data provider that sources most of its electricity from a renewable energy source.

• Clean up your Code

It may be worth looking into your code and make sure it’s been optimised as best as possible, and you aren’t including anything unnecessary. It will also help your website load faster if it isn’t having to load unnecessary data.

Get in touch

If you’re interested in getting a brand new website from a creative team, then look no further than our team at Blue Shark! We would be happy to create something that is perfect for you and your business! Get in touch today!