Sustainability isn’t only about recycling, reducing waste or using less energy. The technology people use every day also has an environmental impact, and websites are part of that picture.

Every time somebody visits a website, information has to travel between a web server and their phone, tablet or computer. Images, videos, scripts and other files all require data to be transferred. Although the impact of a single page view may be small, it can add up across millions of websites and visitors.

For organisations such as Flint and Denbigh Riding Club, there are practical ways to make a website more efficient while also providing visitors with a better experience.

Why Website Efficiency Matters

A well-designed website shouldn’t need to download huge amounts of unnecessary data simply to display useful information.

Large photographs, unnecessary scripts and poorly designed pages can all increase the amount of data transferred when someone visits a website. They can also make pages slower, particularly for visitors using a mobile connection.

Reducing this unnecessary work can therefore have two benefits. It helps reduce the resources required to deliver the website and can make the site noticeably quicker and easier to use.

Keeping Images Under Control

Photographs are an important part of a riding club website. They help capture events, competitions, horses, riders and the atmosphere of the club.

However, photographs can also be some of the largest files on a webpage.

Images can be resized and compressed before they are displayed online, while modern image formats such as WebP can provide good image quality at a much smaller file size.

There is little benefit in making a visitor download a photograph several times larger than the size at which it will actually appear on their screen.

Choosing Efficient Website Hosting

The server hosting a website also matters.

A fast and well-maintained hosting platform can process requests efficiently and deliver pages quickly. Caching can also reduce the amount of work the server has to perform each time somebody visits the same page.

Website owners can also consider the environmental policies of their hosting provider, including whether renewable energy or carbon reduction programmes form part of its approach.

Keeping WordPress Lean

The Flint and Denbigh Riding Club website uses WordPress, which provides plenty of flexibility for managing pages, news and other club information.

Like any website platform, WordPress works best when it is properly maintained. Unnecessary plugins and scripts can increase the amount of processing and data required to display a page.

Regular updates, sensible use of plugins, caching and optimised images can all help keep a WordPress website running efficiently.

There is more information about this approach in DoodleIT’s guide to sustainable website design.

Sustainability Beyond the Website

Of course, a website is only one small part of the wider picture.

Households and organisations can also consider where their electricity comes from, how efficiently they use it and whether renewable energy is available to them.

Choosing a greener energy supplier is one option people may consider. Those researching Octopus Energy, for example, can find information about the current new customer credit through this independent guide to the Octopus Energy referral offer.

The choice of energy supplier should always take account of tariffs, standing charges, customer service and individual energy requirements, rather than being based on an introductory offer alone.

Small Improvements Can Add Up

No single change will make a website completely sustainable. The aim is instead to make sensible improvements wherever possible.

Reducing image sizes, removing unnecessary code, maintaining the website properly and choosing efficient hosting can all contribute. Many of these changes have the added benefit of making a website faster and more pleasant for visitors.

For a club website, that means members can find event information, news and other details quickly without downloading more data than necessary.

Sustainability doesn’t always require dramatic changes. Sometimes it is simply about making better use of the resources already available.