The Digital Gene's Net Zero Journey

Over the last year or so we’ve thought a lot?as a business about how what we do affects the world around us.

It all started when we were researching how we could make our websites more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Then we started to think about making websites faster.

Think ‘less is more’ here.?

To be honest we've always tried to code?our?websites to be as fast and as lean as possible as we knew how much it impacted everything you do relating to marketing a website; SEO, PPC, User Journey.?

Speed affects everything

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We know there is always more that can be done.?

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We discovered something that we hadn't thought a great deal about. That slow websites actually harm?the planet. That they?cause a great deal of damage in terms of usage. That the majority of the internet's power supply?comes from fossil fuels.??

BBC News even reported how slimmed-down websites can help cut carbon emissions.

We always knew slow loading web pages?weren’t great for user experience but when we found out how much it impacted the environment it was mind blowing. From that discovery came the idea that we wanted to make a difference in web sustainability. As with everything, education is key.

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And so a very interesting journey followed.

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We came?across great work from so many great people;? Wholegrain Digital the people behind the carbon calculator in our website footer }, the Eco-Friendly Web Alliance { who have created the world's first, science backed eco standard for websites } and reading the book?World Wide Waste by Gerry McGovern.

These people and more have inspired us so much.

The more we learned we knew we had to keep going.

We already knew that where and who your website is hosted with makes a significant difference in how it impacts contributing to fossil fuel usage.

For context, the internet as an entity is also the world’s largest coal powered machine.

We started shouting louder?about?Why You Need To Move To Green Hosting?last year.

As it happens, all of our web projects hosted with us are on carbon neutral servers in the UK.

We’ve been using the same green hosting company since we set up?our business in 2018 and we are happy to confirm that they really are green.

We’ve earned our?Green Web Foundation badge.

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Like many business owners you probably haven’t thought about checking your web carbon emission credentials.

?And why would you?

What you don't know you don't know, right?

The internet is 'invisible usage'.

We can't see the power that is required?to load web pages, send emails or post a Tik Tok video. And because it's not physical we don't see the pollution.

It's not something that is uppermost in our minds to think about?.. yet.

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People say "Oh we're?too small, we can't make a difference to all this climate action stuff."

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Many people used to think the same?about coffee cups, plastic shopping bags and?straws.?Someone has to make a start.

We're happy to lead or follow if it's going to make change happen.?

There's a buzz around about how many forward thinking organisations are now including de-carbonising their digital?assets as part of their?ESG goals.

It really is the future of good business and best practice.

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We've coined the term 'Green SEO'

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Because helping a business or organisation to work towards their net zero web accreditation is?a hybrid service that lands between technical SEO and offsetting their CO2.

Our?website carbon?emissions audit service?calculates the environmental impact of a website or?important landing pages and measures what steps can be taken to improve the results.

There’s a balancing act between what you need your website to achieve as far as your business being successful is and figuring out where you can?do to make sustainability improvements.?

The two can work in synergy with each other.

For example you might be/have:

• A creative marketing agency that needs a showreel on the website for potential clients to watch.?

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• An ecommerce platform?that needs great 365 images to assist purchases.

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• A landing page with a set of step by step instructions and information capturing.

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• A media platform with lots of articles and ads.

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All of the functionality that is required to make these things?work has an impact on the size of your digital carbon footprint. When we got our own page views down so significantly we made sure it didn't affect anything we wanted our website to achieve from?a marketing?perspective. Where there's a will there's always a way.

It's enabled us to really up-skill our own knowledge so that we can pass it on for good use.

Personally, I?think a lot of the coding for websites has become?pretty lazy. The rise in the popularity of quick page builders has?meant that websites can look pretty?and are easy to put together?but because they have to appeal to the masses behind the?scenes they are really clunky and slow.

I always think of a big old ship creaking through the waves.

For the last 12 months we've been stripping back the code on our web projects as we evolve further.?

Light as a feather page loading means happy visitors who?find what they came for easily. Google loves it?for their Core Web Vitals scoring and the planet will always thank us for it.

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What's not to love?

Happy outcomes all round.

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We've partnered with the?Eco Friendly Website Alliance?to help more businesses achieve their Climate-Positive accreditation.?

EFWA?has set the standard for climate-positive websites.

Read more about the?benefits of this accreditation?and their mission to stop?unnecessary carbon emissions?going into the atmosphere.

Once your initial FREE audit has been delivered our service can kick in at a variety of levels to help you work towards the accreditation.?

There is a small annual charge payable to the EFWA. It's on a sliding scale depending on the size of your business. It's not a one off tick box exercise, either.

We love this part.

Your website will never stay static unless it is static { insiders joke, here! }. The EFWA will?continue to audit all accredited?websites at least once a year, sometimes more.?

Maintaining your website within the eco standards showcases your commitment to operating your website in an environmentally responsible manner.

By keeping the website’s carbon footprint low, you inspire others to do the same, setting a powerful example and taking an active role in promoting a low-carbon future. This is an ongoing obligation that requires attention and dedication, but it is a meaningful and rewarding one.

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We're?really?happy to share?that the accreditation fee is ususally?waived for charities and social enterprises and educational organisations like schools, colleges and universities.

Where we live in Teesside in the North East there are big ambitions to be the world's first Net Zero industrial cluster by 2040.

We'd like to play a?role in helping turn Teesside 'green'!

Any business that cares about it's green credentials can benefit from a carbon emissions report.

We're so sure of it we're doing them for free!!

Fill in the form to start your FREE audit.