What do you picture when you think about “the internet”? Maybe a vast cloud of invisible data, or endless rows of humming servers in a dimly lit warehouse. But our digital world isn’t separate from the physical one. Every search, scroll, and stream has a tangible impact on the planet.
Our reliance on digital tools is only growing in 2025. We’ve seen a huge uptick in AI, cloud computing, and video-heavy content. With this also comes a huge increase in the web’s carbon footprint. Global data traffic is at an all-time high, with researchers estimating that the internet is responsible for roughly 1.5-4% of global carbon emissions, putting it on par with the aviation industry. Some estimates state that an AI generated query can consume up to 10 times more energy than a traditional search.
But what causes this environmental impact, and what can we do about it?
Every webpage, video, or email you interact with is stored on data centres, massive networks of computers that consume enormous amounts of electricity. These facilities also need extensive cooling systems to prevent overheating, further increasing their carbon output.
The good news is, you can make our website more energy efficient, which in turn improves its performance, accessibility and user experience too.
A fast website is a green website
At Conscious, the first and most effective way we cut a website’s emissions is by improving performance.
Speed and sustainability go hand in hand. Reducing the amount of data transferred between your server and your users’ devices means fewer emissions and faster load times.
Here are some tips to slim down your website responsibly:
- Compress and crop images: Pre-crop images to the minimum dimensions you need and compress them before you upload them to your site, using a tool such as TinyPNG.
- Use video strategically: Video content is data-intensive. Host videos on efficient platforms (like YouTube or Vimeo) instead of auto-playing them directly on your site.
- Embrace lightweight design: Vector graphics (SVGs) and simple icons are energy-efficient alternatives to large photos.
- Limit custom fonts: Stick to one or two font families and use system fonts when possible.
- Minify and optimise code: Clean up HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to reduce unnecessary data transfer.
- Enable “lazy loading”: Load images and videos only when a user scrolls to them. This saves energy and boosts performance.
Focus on UX, content and SEO
Your website’s purpose is to serve visitors; to get them to the information they need as quickly and easily as possible. The more friction, clicks, unnecessary page loads translates into more energy consumption.
Traditionally we’ve focused on SEO (Search engine optimisation) to ensure your content ranks well in Google and other search engines. In 2025, we must now consider our visibility in AI search through GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation).
What is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimisation means optimising your website so that AI systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity can easily find, understand, and quote your content when generating answers for users. These AI tools increasingly shape how people discover information, nowadays often preferred over traditional search.
How to optimise for both SEO and GEO:
- Write clear, structured content. AI systems use natural language processing, meaning clarity, headings, and concise explanations help them parse your pages.
- Answer specific questions. Include well-written FAQ sections. AI models favour clearly answered queries.
- Use schema markup and metadata. Structured data helps AI understand context, such as who you are, what services you offer, and your location.
- Keep your site fast and accessible. AI systems may prioritise trustworthy, high-performing websites.
- Publish expert, verifiable content. AI models trained on reliable sources are more likely to reference authoritative law firms.
By focusing on both SEO and AEO, you help AI systems and ultimately users, access your expertise efficiently. That means fewer wasted searches, better visibility, and more sustainable digital experience.
We can help you make your law firm website more visible in AI search results. To find out more, visit our GEO page.
Enable caching
Caching means storing copies of assets or pages so they don’t need to be rebuilt or fetched anew for every single user visit. Key caching layers:
- Browser caching: the user’s device keeps images, scripts, styles so repeat visits load faster.
- CDN (Content Delivery Network) caching: assets served from servers closer to the user, reducing data travel.
- Server caching: pre-built pages or assets stored on your host so the site doesn’t regenerate everything per request.
Without caching, every page view may trigger heavy server work and more energy use. With caching you gain a faster user experience for your visitors and a lower energy-intensive overhead.
Run your website on renewable energy
The data centres where our website information is hosted use a lot of electricity, often grid electricity that may still be heavily fossil-fuel based. So a major factor in reducing your carbon footprint is to choose a web-host or data centre that runs on renewable energy.
Many large providers are committing to 100% carbon-free energy by 2030, and time will tell if they follow through on this. But many smaller hosts are already offering that today.
Ask your host where their electricity comes from and whether it is generated from renewable sources.
How can I measure the carbon emissions of my website?
There are useful tools such as Website Carbon Calculator which let you estimate the carbon emissions of your website and compare it against others.
If you want to discuss how we can help make your website more sustainable, contact the team on 0117 253 0153 or email sales@conscious.co.uk.