What is Green Web Hosting and is it Worth Switching Providers?

What is green web hosting? How does it benefit the environment? What advantages does it have for your website? Let’s find out!

Constant internet use across the world has become a major contributor to CO₂ emissions. Ultimately, this boils down to the vast amounts of electricity required to power the data centres that house our online lives.

A growing trend in website development is sustainable web design. This prioritises loading speeds, reducing page sizes, and minimising a website’s carbon emissions wherever possible.

What is Green Web Hosting?

There’s good news here because lots of web hosts (including Google and AWS) are already on board with a greener future. Here’s everything you need to know, including:

• How to check your own website
• How to find a list of green web hosts
• Does it cost any extra?
• Is it worth switching?
• The difference it makes

As a business operating in a climate crisis, you don’t want to contribute more carbon to the atmosphere than is absolutely necessary. Furthermore, your customers and audience expect to see that you’re doing your bit. That you care.

Digital sustainability is a responsibility any business that operates online now needs to consider. Of course, this will usually start with your website, the hub for all of your digital marketing and local SEO.

Digital sustainability is what we can do to reduce our impact on the planet’s resources. Not just at work, but in all areas of our lives where we use digital.

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How to Check if Your Website Uses Green Hosting

Firstly, if you’re unsure which energy source your current web host uses, there’s a quick, easy way to find out.

Head over to either the Website Carbon Calculator or the Green Web Check page on the Green Web Foundation website. Pop your website address in, and hey presto!

Additionally, depending on your results, you may want to check out a list of green web hosts. We’ll also carry that out on the same website.

How to Find a List of Green Web Hosts

Secondly, head over to the Hosting Directory. Here you’ll find a handly list of web hosts in your country that use green energy.

Moreover, you’ll notice some of the individual key features for each company highlighted in green.

Since 2006, we’ve been building the world’s largest database tracking which parts of the internet run on renewable power – the Green Web Dataset.

The Green Web Foundation

Does Green Web Hosting Cost More?

You may be surprised to hear that green web hosting doesn’t actually cost any extra. With that said, it’s important to realise that good web hosting does.

Depending on how important your website is to generating revenue, you’ll usually want to set aside a little extra budget for a quality host. In this situation, you’ve still got a fairly wide price range to choose from.

If you’re a WordPress user, 20i is a solid option for new businesses on a smaller budget. Managed WordPress plans start at only £9.99 per month.

Faster, premium hosting options usually come in at around three times this price for a single site. Again, if the budget allows, it’s well worth your investment.

Is it Worth Switching Over, if Needed?

If you’ve discovered that your website is running on bog-standard energy, it might be worth considering switching hosts.

At the very least, it’s beneficial to keep in mind for future website updates. Switching web hosts isn’t something you’ll do too often as a business. It can be stressful, but choosing the right provider makes it a lot easier.

Note: If you use a platform like WordPress (the .org version) you can pick and choose your host as you please. If you use a platform like Wix or Wix Studio, you have to use their built-in hosting, which is already using green energy.

Your new host will usually take care of everything other than your DNS records. Once they’ve swapped everything over, you’ll just need to point your domain name to their servers.

In the long term, switching over to a green web host would be advisable.

While there are a plethora of green-only web hosting providers, many of the most well-known and best web hosting providers have also adopted eco-friendly practices to get on board with the trend of saving the environment.

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The Difference it Makes

The initial difference you’ll see is a higher result from the Website Carbon Calculator. This tool takes various aspects of your website into account, including your hosting provider.

Of course, you can also confirm your website’s sustainable credentials with the Green Web Check on the Green Web Foundation website. They also offer a badge you can display anywhere on your website.

If you’ve chosen wisely, you should also see a speed and performance upgrade. Drop me a message if you need any suggestions on who to go with.

Ultimately, the primary difference you’ve made here is contributing way less carbon to the atmosphere every time someone visits your website. And, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to see these sorts of results for their own website?

Note: An A or A+ score from the Website Carbon Calculator also requires sustainable web design and development paired with your green web hosting.

What is Green Web Hosting – Conclusion

So, in a nutshell, what is green web hosting? A web hosting provider that uses green, renewable energy to power their data centre.

As a result, any websites that are built on top of a green web host, will run on sustainable energy.

The Green Web Directory has a list of green web hosts, and you can also check if your site is using sustainable energy there. Other tools like the Website Carbon Calculator also make it easy to get an idea of how much carbon your website is producing each time a page is loaded.