Hire web developers in India for creating sustainable webs for your busine
ss. But why a sustainable website?
The internet. The cloud. It's natural to consider them virtual notions. After all, our relationship with them is essentially hidden. However, the data we share all day is gathered, processed, stored, and exchanged in massive data centers around the world. The supercomputers that power them are always running and frequently overheating. In turn, they are cooled by massive cooling systems that are driven by electricity. Few of them are powered by renewable energy. The web accounts for 2% of total greenhouse gas emissions. That is equivalent to the entire country of Germany, the world's sixth most polluting country. When someone opens a single web page, it releases 20 milligrams of CO2 each second. This can be as high as 300 milligrams for more complex areas. There are currently around 3.5 billion web users worldwide. However, as the global population grows and more people gain access to the internet, the number of computers and data centers is expected to skyrocket.
We don't need to go into detail about what this means for our planet.
So, what are our options?
Creating energy-efficient websites!
Today's average web page size is 2038.4kb. Our carbon footprint has naturally increased as more data is transferred. As online designers, developers, and creators, we have the ability to mitigate this damage. There are several critical areas where we can make tiny but major changes, and all it takes is a few little changes to our procedures. Follow these best sustainable practices to produce long-lasting, energy-efficient websites:
1. Optimize images to reduce file size
High-resolution images look great on a website, but they also place a significant strain on load time and energy use. Fortunately, one of the simplest ways to minimize the load is to reduce photos. Be picky about the photos you use. Do they serve a purpose or are they only for show? Use just photographs that you truly require, and lower their resolution and image quality as much as feasible. Then, before uploading images to the site, use a tool like TinyPNG or WP Smush Pro to compress them.
Also read How to Improve Your Website Performance: 8 ways to Speed Up Your Site.
2. Be strategic with videos
When it comes to a website's performance and efficiency, there is just one thing worse than photos. That concludes the video section. However, the use of video has increased in recent years due to its effectiveness in engaging and captivating our shrinking attention span. There are a few things you can take to mitigate its bad consequences. Again, limit the videos on your site to what is absolutely necessary, and utilize the lowest resolution possible. Set them to autoplay and embed them right into your site. Consider whether or not you require a video background.
- Make use of lazy loading for photos and media
Lazy loading refers to just loading images and other media when they are needed. When a user lands on the website, everything above the fold loads instantaneously, while the rest appears only as they scroll down. As a result, if a user does not scroll all the way to the bottom, not all of the photos must load. This reduces energy usage and allows websites to load faster, which is beneficial to your SEO.
- Set up web caching
Caching is the process of downloading and storing shared page elements such as JavaScript, CSS, and pictures closer to the user. When the user returns to the website, the data can be retrieved from the cache rather than contacting the web server again. This increases web page performance while reducing data transfer.
- Delete what you don’t need
Perform a spring cleaning on your website on a regular basis and eliminate anything you aren't utilizing. Unwanted themes and plugins, old post revisions, unused media, categories and tags, spam comments, broken links, and so on are all examples. The less energy your site consumes, the more streamlined it is.
6. Enhance the site navigation to make it easier to find information.
A huge, cumbersome site with a muddled navigation structure can confuse and irritate your visitors. But that's not the only disadvantage. It also lengthens the time users spend clicking around the site looking for the information they need. Spend some time thinking about audience personalities and their needs, and create a clear, logical navigation structure so visitors can get to the information they need quickly.
7. Choose a green web host
With servers, data centers, and cooling systems all consuming electricity, finding a provider that uses renewable energy goes a long way toward reducing your website's environmental effect.
Green web hosting is still in its early stages, and finding a host that combines decent performance, excellent customer service, and uses renewable energy can be difficult. Because many hosting businesses do not maintain their own data centers, they have less control over how their servers are run.
Also read What is custom website development.
However, you might opt for a hosting company that has a partnership with Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Google is committed to carbon neutrality and matches 100% of its energy consumption with renewable energy. You'll be one step closer to developing a green and sustainable website if you use a managed WordPress host in conjunction with GCP! Reducing the environmental implications of the web necessitates a fundamental shift in the industry's approach. However, by adopting these simple modifications, we can all contribute to making websites more environmentally friendly. As an added benefit, these adjustments boost a site's user experience and SEO, making it a win-win-win situation.
Small actions make a big difference
The more we learn about sustainable web design, the better our world and user experiences will be. Every action counts. You may begin by letting a web development company in Kerala for sustainable website development that can cater a large audience. We're all on this path together, so modest gestures on a large scale can make a significant effect.
