Sustainable Websites
If you buy a new household appliance today, you also look at the power consumption of the appliance. Your website also consumes energy. The internet - with all its websites and applications - is responsible for a significant part of the world's energy consumption. By creating a sustainable website, however, you can help prevent unnecessary emissions, actively save CO2 and thus actively do something for our planet and yourself.
CO2 - consumption and technology
You may have heard that faster loading times are particularly important for the Co2 consumption of a website. This is also true. Technically, this can be achieved by a website using
- using valid and standard-compliant HTML and CSS.
- only loading the code it really needs.
- avoids the use of extensive frameworks.
- optimising images and multimedia content.
- avoids unnecessary animations.
- uses loading, caching and compression techniques.
- chooses a high-performance host that works with renewable energies.
Concept, Design and Text
But content, design and structure also contribute significantly to the sustainability of a website. The goal of good information architecture is to design and organise information in such a way that users can easily find, understand and efficiently use the content they are looking for. The faster users find what they are looking for, the more satisfied they are and the smaller the carbon footprint. Texts that are understood, that get to the point quickly and don't beat around the bush should be supported by a design that helps people absorb this information.
Longevity
There are always design trends. But jumping on every passing bandwagon doesn't necessarily make sense. Creating a new website also requires resources. Go for robust technology and sustainable design. A customised design that is not dependent on short-term design trends can help your site stay relevant and appealing for longer, making a sustainable contribution to protecting our planet.