Everyone seems to think that having things online reduces your carbon footprint since they aren’t consuming tangible products and resources. This is a big misconception because actually if the internet were a country, it would rank sixth in electricity usage. Since internet usage worldwide continues to grow, we need to be aware of how we can make this space more green to be able to care for our planet. If you have a business—whether it is digital or brick and mortar—you can implement some easy steps to create a sustainable user experience through green web design. Read on to find out.

Importance Of Green Web Design

If you care about your carbon footprint, making your web design more sustainable should be a priority. Not only will you help the planet by going green, but you’ll also connect with your customers better. Nowadays, consumers are more concerned about the environment and, therefore, more likely to support businesses with similar values.

 5 Ways To Create Green Web Design

Implementing the following tips is a great way start to creating a more eco-friendly website.

1. Accessibility

One way to make your web design green is to make it more accessible. By doing this, users will spend less time aimlessly searching on your page, and therefore less time loading pages. This leads to less energy use overall! Of course, you still want people visiting your website if you have a business, but making it more accessible will make the whole process for the consumer more efficient. 

On the topic of accessibility, do you know if your website is accessible to those with disabilities? As you may know, accessibility means that all people, including those with vision and hearing impairments, can use your website. Accessibility issues not only make your site harder to navigate for some folks but can actually get you into legal trouble. 

Recently, we found a solution with our partners at accessiBe that I think will be a good fit for you too. You will achieve full ADA compliance in under 48 hours and get 24/7 automatic maintenance through this is an AI automated system.


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2. Technical Optimization

The next tip is to optimize your website. In order to do this, you can compress content on your site and remove unused features and functions. Again, this will increase your efficiency and minimize your energy consumption, which is the recipe for the success of a green website.

3. Mobile Version

Do you have a mobile version of your website? If not, it’s something you should seriously consider. Not only do internet users globally browse more on a mobile device than they do on a desktop computer, but there is a sustainable benefit to having a mobile website. It’s pretty logical, too. Basically, a mobile website is a bit more simplistic and easy to navigate version of the full website, since it’s interacted with on such a smaller scale, literally. 

Minimal use is the idea behind a site’s mobile version. So, by nature, it is designed more efficiently with fewer pages, content, features. It may be a paired-down version of your full website, but it is just as useful to your consumers if you are clear and concise with your marketing strategy, and you’re also doing something good for the planet.

4. Reduce Images and Videos

Did you know that images and videos on website pages slow it down? We’re not telling you to delete all visuals on your site, but it may be worthwhile to reconsider what you currently have and evaluate whether it’s essential to your brand or not. By trimming down the number of images and videos on your site, you help it to load faster and therefore reduce energy usage.  You can also optimize images for page speed with different plug-ins that integrate perfectly.

5. Page Speed

As we’ve been hinting at, the more efficient your website is, the better it is for sustainability. A quick-loading website is a key component of this. The best part is, improving your page speed has multiple benefits, such as helping with SEO. Google tends to have a preference for websites with fast page speed, so it’s in your best interest to work on this if you want to rank higher for SEO. There are a variety of ways of how you can increase your page speed. 

Taking these small aspects into consideration can help you have numerous benefits, but especially the fact that it will help reduce energy consumption and make your website more sustainable.

Key Takeaways

You can start incorporating these tips into your website for a more “green” user experience. It’s important that we bring more attention to our digital footprint, and include it in our overall carbon footprint. By focusing on longevity with green web design rather than just launching, we can create sustainability for years to come. 

Want to learn more about website sustainability or want help getting started on making your website more efficient? Reach out to us today and schedule a complimentary 30-minute strategy session!