Sustainable Web Design AU
The aim of sustainable web design is to put together a site that is well made, loads in no time and does not want for resources. You will find efficient code and hosting, content that is accessible and a considered approach to design; there is no need for yet another ornamental badge in the footer.
In my own experience with publishing online I have seen how an image laden page can be costly and awkward for those on mobile data. Damian Rockwell puts it in a straightforward way: make the site useful, then attractive, but never wasteful. That is the practical view. It puts less strain on networks and data centres and is a better proposition for the visitor.
Faster Digital Experiences
There is no mistaking the advantage of speed in sustainable design. A prompt loading page requires less processing and data transfer, so one is not inclined to give up in the middle of a form or transaction. This can also help when assessing agency expertise.
An Australian user might be on a good home connection, or perhaps a congested network at a café, or making do with a mobile link in the country. Relying on ideal conditions is luck, not sustainability.
Cut Down On Page Weight
With tracking scripts, animation libraries, video that autoplays and big images you can have a site that is more than it should be. Most service pages do not call for a five-megapixel hero, a couple of moving banners and a video before the menu is even located.
Opt for responsive settings and modern file types like AVIF or WebP if they are supported. Put photographs through a compressor prior to upload and cull any superfluous plugins. As a rule of thumb, turn off JavaScript and the images for a moment. The structure is sound if the contact details and navigation remain and the service is still explained. A blank white rectangle tells you the browser is being asked to do too much.
Be Selective With Features
Pop-ups, heat maps, advertising pixels and review widgets all have their price. They can be a drag on the page and raise questions of privacy. Consider whether HTML and CSS will do the job as well. A phone number in plain sight is often worth more than an elaborate booking system and a page that is well written pre-empts the need for a chat.
This is not about doing without. It is a matter of deliberate choices and not having digital clutter that was not called for.
Real World Conditions in Australia
You cannot assume every one of your visitors is equipped with a new device and unlimited data. This is a vast country with its share of people who will use their phone as a computer and internet access is not always even.
Do not write off the regional customer or those with disabilities as edge cases. In serving them you will generally be more efficient across the board.
Cater To The Mobile And Regional User
Put the mobile layout in first and build out from there. Navigation should be self evident, buttons sized for a tap, no making the visitor contort to get past a hamburger menu with a mind of its own. Stick to compressed media and short copy, let the headings do some of the talking. If there is a map, provide the address and directions in writing.
When a customer is in a country town or on a building site and the mobile data is acting up, a lighter page will load where a heavier one would not.
Accessibility Is Sustainability
Confusion and unnecessary backtracking are reduced by an accessible site. Things like colour contrast, captions, alternative text and keyboard options see to it that tasks are done with minimal effort. It is also more efficient for the person with older hardware or using voice control and screen readers. For a public sector benchmark on inclusive services there is the Digital Service Standard and accessibility guidance from the Australian Government.
Make it part of the plan for forms, content and interaction states from the outset, not something to inspect at the end. An absent label is an easy thing to put right in the early stages. Once you have launched and are faced with a checkout that can not be reached, it is quite another matter.
Hosting And Energy: Keep Demand Down
Websites are not some ethereal cloud construct. They are dependent on physical servers and networks as well as the devices of your visitors’ phones and computers which expend energy in the downloading and rendering of content. According to the International Energy Agency, data transmission networks and data centres make up a considerable part of the world’s electricity demand, though one will find varying figures depending on how the reporting is done and what boundaries are drawn. You will not address the issue in its entirety with a website of modest size but curbing superfluous transfers is something practical.
Be Selective About Your Hosting
Put questions to a hosting provider on where their data centres are, their use of renewable power, the way they account for energy and how they handle a spike in traffic. One wants unambiguous replies, not some nebulous “green” rhetoric.
An Australian host will mean lower latency for those in Australia yet that says nothing of environmental credentials; a server in close proximity with poor infrastructure is hardly more responsible than a well run operation in another part of the country. Factor in performance, security, uptime and backups as well as energy reporting.
For the small business there is no need to go beyond ordinary shared hosting. A platform with heavy traffic will require a cloud environment that has been configured with care. Do not put a service that is hard pressed every afternoon on a server, but then again do not put money down on capacity for the sake of it.
Make Use Of Caching And Content Delivery
With caching you have content at hand so it is not made from scratch. Static files can be put in front of visitors by a content delivery network from a nearby location, which cuts down on delay and any redundant processing. Put in place sensible expiry for images and stylesheets and version or clear them when the content warrants it. You do not want to be left with an emergency notice that has gone stale, it is a hazard.
Then there are dynamic matters like live stock levels or an account dashboard. Leave private or anything that changes of a moment out of the public cache and only put through what is safe.
Content Should Earn Its Place
In a sense good content is sustainable. If a page puts an answer in front of the visitor without fuss he will not be wasting time with videos or extra pages and repeated submissions. It is a relief for customer service and for the operations and energy involved in any further digital contact.
Write In A Better Way, Not More
Do away with the marketing verbiage and introductions that are little more than filler. Let a page have a single purpose. The local plumber needs to put forward his licence, phone number, service areas and what to expect in terms of response times and emergencies. Save the cinematic mission statement for later.
Use plain English of the Australian variety. “Book an inspection” is preferable to “commence the appointment journey”. Have the salient points at the top of the screen for mobile users.
But a useful page is not to be confused with a short one. Two lines of copy and you have sent the visitor off to make a call for the details. That is not efficient. Aim for focus, not a famine.
Have A Reason For Your Media
A video is fine for a demonstration of a repair or to make sense of a complex product, provided it is not the sole means of doing so. Offer a transcript, captions and a summary and let the visitor make the choice to load it.
Image galleries have their place if the photographs are of assistance. A restaurant might benefit from a menu in pictures. Twelve office photos that are much the same for a consultancy are just occupying space and wearing people thin.
Some Practical Sustainability To Measure
You would be better served by hard numbers on loading, accessibility and server behaviour than a developer’s assertion of a “lightweight” site.
Test under realistic conditions that are realistic after you have made a change. The homepage, a contact form, a service page and anywhere with a lot of traffic should be put through their paces.
| Area | What To Check | Useful Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Unnecessary scripts, page weight and loading time | Better access from regional and mobile connections |
| Content | Oversized media, unclear calls to action and text duplication | One task completed with fewer pages |
| Accessibility | Contrast, headings, labels, keyboard and caption access | Service used independently by more people |
| Hosting | Caching, scaling, server location and energy reporting | Data transfer and processing that can be avoided |
| Business results | Conversions, support requests and forms | Efficiency in service of commercial aims |
There is no one score for sustainability; a government service and a photography portfolio are not alike. Judge the site against what it is meant to do and how it has performed.
Leave No Room For Guesswork In An Agency
An agency worth its salt will put the trade-offs in plain terms. One should be able to have a conversation on performance, hosting, content and maintenance that is not obscured by a thicket of nouns designed to impress.
In evaluating an agency’s mettle, do not be swayed by screenshots; ask for evidence of improvements that have been put to the test. A handsome homepage only shows you can put pixels in order, it is no guarantee the site is maintainable or efficient.
Better Project Questions
You would be well advised to find out how the agency measures page weight, what becomes of third-party scripts, if there is any accessibility testing prior to launch and who is left to look after the site once it is live. Also inquire into the sustainability of the performance over time.
Get a straightforward account of running costs and their approach to hosting and back-ups. For a small business in Australia, one might plan on a few hundred dollars for the basics or several thousand for managed support and the infrastructure to handle more traffic. Take these as broad figures for your planning, not quotes; the scope of the project will make all the difference.
Do not put stock in an agency touting a perfect score from every tool at its disposal. With changes in traffic and services, scores are fluid. A site whose checkout is to be relied upon is of more use to a customer than one that has been optimised for a test at the expense of practicalities.
Greenwashing
One will spot greenwashing in a claim that has no substance. If an agency speaks of “eco-friendly hosting” they ought to be able to talk about data-centre operations, reporting or some recognised environmental commitment.
Put them to the question on what they mean by sustainable. An answer limited to visual minimalism or just the hosting is wanting. True sustainable design is holistic, encompassing everything from the initial planning and code to accessibility and end-of-life.
A Launch Checklist
There is no need for the customary last-minute rush if one employs a brief checklist. See to it before launch and go through it again when the site is given a major overhaul or a new tracking tool.
- Images, video and downloads should be compressed and sized properly.
- Do away with superfluous plugins, fonts and scripts.
- Put the main tasks to the test on a mobile with a poor connection.
- Verify the keyboard navigation, form labels and colour contrast.
- Make sure caching and security are in order and there is an owner for maintenance.
- Record baseline performance and review it after launch.
Most will err in their first review by confining themselves to the homepage. But a visitor may come in off a social post or a search to a service page. Test those entry points and the route back from a booking or form submission.
Sustainability Questions
There is still much fog around sustainable web design so these are questions one will encounter. The answers are to be found in resource use and what real visitors require.
Is it worth the effort?
Yes, in that it can see an improvement in speed and conversion. And by doing away with needless complexity a business can put some pressure on the cost of support and hosting. It is best regarded as part of quality assurance, not an expensive extra.
Must I have a new design for a green website?
Not at all. Compress your media, rewrite anything that is unclear and you will see gains. A redesign is called for only if the structure is wanting; to rebuild the whole thing is not necessarily the responsible thing to do.
Will carbon offsets suffice?
They are no substitute for reducing energy demand and page weight. Any offsetting is something to be viewed with caution. Document the direct improvements you have made and leave it at that.
Does it have to be dull?
On the contrary. With good typography and some purposeful interaction you can give a site character without clogging up the browser with assets.
When to review performance?
At launch and whenever there is a change of note. Small businesses would do well to make a quarterly check of it, high-traffic sites will want to be on top of it more often.
The Responsible Choice
It is not a matter of making a website in Australia seem worthy. Sustainable design is about cutting waste and letting people get on with their business in a safe and independent manner.
Pick an agency that will stand by its decisions and keep accessibility in mind from the first sketch. Measure the pages of import and excise what is not earning its keep. In the end a website that is lighter and clearer is a win for the visitor and the business alike, and kinder to the internet’s infrastructure. There is no call to boil the billy over it.
