In this post we dicuss the importance of sustainable web hosting. Learn how to make your website eco-friendly.
Sustainable web hosting is an easy first step toward making your business more environmentally friendly
When you think of sustainability, web hosting may not be the first topic to come to mind. While environmental measures such as recycling, green energy and plant-based eating may seem more obvious, our online activities also make a difference to the environment.
How does the Internet impact the environment?
It may seem like the virtual world is separate from the environment, but content creation and storage can both create pollution. In fact, internet and gadget use accounts for 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions. This number is predicted to rise further.
Large-scale content production is similar to the film and television industries. Large generators, mass transport of cast and crew, and disposable props and costumes are just a few of the factors involved. While these aspects rarely cause issues for small businesses, it is still worth considering the impact of your content creation. Do you create unnecessary waste? To what extent are you contributing to consumerism? Could you purchase equipment second-hand?
As for storage, the primary problem is energy consumption. All content on the internet must be stored on a server, which needs energy to run. Uploading and downloading content requires additional energy. Much of the electricity required in these processes comes from fossil fuels. If we store content on servers powered by renewable energy, its negative impact will decrease significantly.
How can I make my websites more sustainable?
You can make your website more sustainable by decreasing the energy required to store your content and ensuring that the energy you do need is from renewable sources. There are some easy first steps you can take to begin this process.
In terms of minimising the required server space, you can start by optimising your images. You should do this regardless, as optimised images increase your website speed and in turn, improve your SEO. A well-optimised image will look as good as the original but have a significantly smaller file size.
It also helps to delete any unnecessary content. Your website provider may be storing a large library of old blog posts, unused images and outdated pages. As video sizes are often larger, these are particularly important to get rid of if you no longer need them.
Our last tip, and perhaps the easiest, is to change your hosting platform!
How do I choose a sustainable web hosting platform?
The most important quality to look for is the use of renewable energy. Hosting sites may also claim to offset their energy, for example by planting trees. This may or may not be effective depending on their methods. Of course, sustainability is one of many considerations. The hosting provider also needs to be fast, reliable and secure. Once your website is up and running, you need to be able to maintain it. You may also have additional requirements, such as a limited budget. Balancing all of these factors can be difficult.
This is why we offer sustainable web hosting and maintenance plans, starting from £20 each month! We pride ourselves on working with UK-based hosting provider Krystal, who focuses on sustainability every step of the way. If your website ever goes down, we’ll be there to help. We always keep updated backups of every site, just in case disaster strikes. Not only that, but we make sure your website remains fast, secure and up-to-date on a monthly basis. After all, google loves healthy updated websites!
Krystal is efficiently powered by 100% renewable energy, in addition to supporting climate organisations and planting trees. Click here to visit Krystal and use code “OneMan” when signing up to get £10 credit when you make the switch!
Need help changing over from your existing web host? Get in touch here. We’d love to help. We can guide you through the whole process from start to finish.
