Top 10 tips on how to reduce your website’s environmental impact.
Choices, Optimisations, Operations and Communities to join. – Published June ’24
As the world becomes more aware of the environmental impact of human activities, it is important for businesses to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
As more and more of our daily activities shift online, the carbon footprint of the internet and the websites we use becomes a growing concern.
As a developer, there are several steps you can take to reduce a website’s CO2 environmental impact. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the key strategies.
Use a Green Web Host such as the one Bnode provides.
One of the most significant ways to reduce the environmental impact of your website is to use a green web host. Green web hosts use renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, or hydro to power their servers. This reduces the carbon footprint of your website as the energy used to power it is coming from a sustainable source. Some hosting companies also offer carbon offsetting programs that invest in renewable energy projects to offset their carbon emissions, however this is not solving the issue by not producing it in the first place. Bnode’s green hosting packages are 100% renewable energy.
Optimise Images.
Images can significantly impact the loading time of your website, which in turn affects its environmental impact. By optimizing images, you can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transferred, leading to a faster loading time and reduced energy consumption. Some ways to optimize images include reducing their size, compressing them, and using appropriate file formats.
Minimize HTTP Requests.
HTTP requests are made when a user visits your website, and each request requires the server to perform a certain amount of work. The more requests that are made, the more energy your website uses. This can be done by minimizing the use of unnecessary CSS and JavaScript files, compressing images, videos, and reducing the number of external requests made by the website. By optimizing the website’s code, you can significantly reduce the website’s load time and ultimately, the amount of energy required to serve it.
Consider a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a network of servers that are distributed around the world. By using a CDN, your website can deliver content from a server that is closest to the user, reducing the distance that data needs to travel and thus reducing energy consumption. This is an interesting topic though as some say that duplicating web elements onto several servers is just as bad as having your assets on 1 server that is based far away. No-one knows for sure which is truly the best option.
Implement Caching.
Caching allows your website to store frequently accessed data, such as images and scripts, on the user’s device. This reduces the need for the server to send the data every time a user visits your website, which in turn reduces the amount of energy required to serve the website. This therefore leads to a faster loading time and reduced energy consumption.
Use Efficient Code.
Efficient code can significantly reduce the amount of energy your website uses. This includes using best practices such as minimizing the use of unnecessary code, optimizing database queries, and reducing the number of external requests and resulting in faster load times.
Reduce unnecessary website elements.
Reducing unnecessary website elements such as animations, videos, and large images can significantly reduce the website’s CO2 impact. These elements require a lot of energy to load and can slow down the website’s performance. By prioritizing simple and minimalist designs, you can create a website that is both visually appealing and environmentally friendly.
Monitor Your Website's Energy Consumption.
It is important to monitor your website’s energy consumption to identify areas where you can further reduce its environmental impact. There are various tools available, such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix, that can help you identify areas for improvement.
Use renewable energy to power devices.
It’s important to consider the energy source used to power the devices used to access the website. Using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power to power devices can significantly reduce the environmental impact of using the internet.
Join with other organisations in the movement.
Staying up to date on available techniques to produce low code websites and being a part of the ever-growing community of people that want to ‘do the right thing’ in business can ensure that you don’t get left behind and continue to implement the best practices that are available when being a sustainability champion.
In conclusions, reducing your website’s environmental impact is an important step in reducing your business’s overall carbon footprint. By following the tips outlined above, you can reduce your website’s energy consumption, leading to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly online presence.
If you are looking for support in creating a new website with these tips in place, or you need support in fixing your current website to help your business be more ethical in its CO2 output, give us a call or fill the form out below to get in touch with Bnode. We’re here to help.