What is sustainable web design? (+ 11 tips for a greener site).

The internet has a bigger impact on the environment than you might think. And investing in sustainable web design is one way you can do your bit for the planet (and become a more eco-friendly business).

Sustainable websites are something more of our clients are asking about. So we’ve put together this article to cover a few basics — including the business benefits of green web design and what you can do to create a more environmentally-friendly website.

What is sustainable web design?

Sustainable web design — sometimes called low-carbon web design or green web design — is the practice of creating and maintaining websites in a way that minimises their environmental impact.

A sustainable website loads quickly, requires a minimal number of page loads and generates low carbon emissions. It’s efficient in terms of technology and the user experience (UX).

What is the environmental impact of the internet?

The web is far from carbon-neutral. Every email, search and load of a webpage relies on physical infrastructure — data centres, servers and cooling systems — all of which consume vast amounts of energy.

A few stats to put it into perspective?

• The internet contributes to 3.7% of global carbon emissions. That’s more than the aviation industry.
• If the internet were a country, it would be the 13th biggest producer of greenhouse gases, between Mexico and Brazil.
• The average size of a web page has increased from 468KB in 2010 to more than 2,500KB today.

So how exactly does the internet produce carbon?

The devices and wireless networks we use consume energy. And the data centres that drive the world’s websites consume a lot of energy.

While some data centres are trying to reduce their environmental impact, others are still powered by fossil fuels. Their cooling systems, needed to keep equipment at the right temperature, also require a massive volume of water.

What’s more, demands on these data centres are growing because websites are getting bigger. Modern websites are packed with high-res imagery, background videos, tracking scripts, animations and ads. Each element adds digital weight — and requires more energy to load. That means more emissions.

This is why lots of businesses are now looking at the environmental impact of their websites — and finding ways to make their online presence more sustainable.

What impacts the sustainability of a website?

Sustainable web design is a way we can reduce the internet’s impact on the planet. Interested in building a sustainable website? Then you need to consider three key website elements.

1. The number of files

Your website files include everything from images to videos to scripts to stylesheets. The more files on your website, the more energy your site uses.

2. The size of files

The bigger the elements on your website, the longer they take to load. Videos and high-quality images are known for their large file sizes.

3. The hosting package

The best hosting packages use compression and caching techniques to reduce the loading requirements of your website. You can also find hosting companies that run on renewable energy.

Want to deep dive into the technical info? Check out the Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) provided by W3C. These guidelines cover best practices across UX, development, infrastructure, hosting and business strategy.

How green is your website?

Wondering if you’ve got a low-carbon website? There are several tools you can use to find out the carbon impact of your online presence.

These include Website Carbon Calculator and Ecograder. Simply type in your website URL, and they’ll assess your sustainability.

What are the business benefits of a sustainable website?

Investing in eco-friendly web design isn’t just good for the planet. It benefits your business too. With an eco-friendly website, you can count on:

• Better performance and speed. Leaner sites load faster. This improves the user experience, reduces bounce rate and boosts SEO.
• Better search engine visibility. Google and other search engines favour sites that load quickly — so you can improve your rankings in search engine result pages (SERPs).
• Reduced costs. You can cut costs on bandwidth, server usage and website maintenance, so your website is cheaper to run.
• Stronger brand positioning. Being able to say your site is eco-friendly gives you a point of difference, especially as sustainability becomes more important to customers.
• Improved accessibility. Lightweight sites are easier to use on slower internet connections or older devices, making them accessible to more people.

Sustainable web design principles can help you achieve your wider website goals. They create a better user experience, reduce website maintenance and get your site in front of more people.

How to make your website more eco-friendly

If you’d like to build a greener website, here are a couple of easy changes you can make to your site to make it more environmentally friendly.

1. Opt for a minimalist website

A minimalist website focuses on what really matters — clear messaging, simple navigation and efficient layouts. It’s a cleaner, calmer user experience that saves data and energy. You don’t need to strip your site bare. Just ask yourself: Does this image, animation or background video genuinely serve a purpose for users?

2. Reduce file sizes

Large media files — including website videos and high-res images — are among the biggest offenders when it comes to web energy use. So compress and optimise your files. Use lazy loading so images and videos only load when needed. For videos, use efficient codecs and serve lower-resolution versions where possible.

3. Don’t autoplay videos

Autoplaying videos might seem like a good way to grab attention — but from an environmental standpoint, it’s very wasteful. Every time a video plays automatically, it triggers data transfers that users haven’t even asked for. Instead, allow users to choose when to play a video. You’ll cut carbon emissions and give users greater control over their browsing experience.

4. Use custom fonts with caution

Every custom font on your website means additional files to load. You can make your website greener (and faster) by using system fonts. These load instantly because they’re already stored on users’ devices. And if you do want a custom font that better fits your branding, limit the number of weights and formats you include.

5. Cut the waffle

Long, wordy web pages can feel overwhelming for users. And every unnecessary paragraph increases page size and data transfer. So be ruthless with your website copy. Find ways to share your message in fewer words. Be focused and concise. You’ll make your website greener — and your copy more readable and engaging.

6. Review user journeys

The most sustainable websites make it quick and easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for — because every click or page load uses extra data. You can make navigation more efficient by flattening your site hierarchy. That way, every page is accessible in a couple of clicks. Also, remove any redundant routes and ensure the most common user journeys are short and well-signposted.

7. Compress your code

Clean, efficient code improves website performance while reducing your site’s environmental impact. So minify your CSS, JavaScript and HTML. Remove any unused code or plugins. Even small optimisations at the code level can have a big impact on sustainability, especially on high-traffic pages.

8. Be selective with tracking scripts

Website analytics can be useful. But do you really need all that data? If your site is using lots of different analytics software and displaying targeted ads, this all adds to the size of your web pages. Assess whether you’re making good use of the data available to you and — if not — remove any tracking scripts you don’t need.

9. Switch to green hosting

Some hosts are greener than others. Look for hosting providers powered by wind, solar or hydroelectric sources — and those that invest in verified carbon offsetting. The Green Web Foundation has a tool for looking up web hosts and their green credentials.

10. Hone your SEO strategy

If users are landing on your site expecting one thing but finding another, they bounce away. This means unnecessary page loads and wasted data. You can reduce your bounce rate by using precise, relevant SEO keywords that attract the right audience. A library of targeted, high-quality content reduces digital waste and helps you achieve a better conversion rate, too.

11. Focus on your most-visited pages

As a first step towards a more eco-friendly website, identify pages that get the most views. Then, apply sustainable web design principles here first. A few tweaks on a busy page can translate into tonnes of CO2 saved.

Eco-friendly website design with Radical

Sustainable web design doesn’t have to mean difficult compromises. You can still provide a fantastic experience for website visitors without making your site overly bulky.

At Radical, a web design agency in Manchester, we believe that green website design is simply good website design. It’s all about clean coding, a minimalist approach and a focus on the best possible user experience. It’s about creating fast, decluttered sites where users can find what they need with ease.

Want to make your website more eco-friendly? Give the Radical team a call today.