Digital cleanup day: Website audit checklist
Digital cleanup day is 15 March 2025. Will your organisation be participating in a website spring clean?
How to clean up your website for a greener, faster, more efficient digital presence
How often do you remove digital clutter from your website? If we're being honest, probably not that often. Digital Cleanup Day is a worthwhile prompt to reduce your carbon footprint and make your website more efficient.
Your website might look great on the surface, but behind the scenes, it could be wasting energy and delivering a poor user experience.
Digital team collaboration: Editors and developers
Many tasks outlined below can be handled by web editors through your CMS, while others may need support from your developers. Here’s a practical checklist to help reduce CO₂ emissions and make your website work smarter.
The website audit checklist
1. Audit your current site
Start by auditing your website to find any opportunities for improvement.
Web editors can:
- Run performance audits using tools like Insytful, Google PageSpeed Insights and Website Carbon Calculator.
- Identify large, outdated, or underperforming pages, PDFs and documents.
You may need a developer to:
- Interpret technical audit results and suggest deeper optimizations.
- Implement backend performance improvements if needed.
2. Optimise images and media
Find and update oversized images and outdated file formats. Web teams can use tools like Insytful to identify and optimise images.
Web editors can:
- Compress and resize images before uploading (using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh).
- Replace older images with modern formats (like WebP or AVIF) if your CMS supports them.
- Remove unused media from your CMS library.
You may need a developer to:
- Enable support for modern image formats across your site.
- Implement lazy loading if it isn’t already in place.
3. Reduce third-party scripts
Limit the use of external scripts and plugins to minimise potential security vulnerabilities and improve site speed.
Web editors can:
- Audit and remove unnecessary third-party content like embedded forms, videos, or tracking pixels.
You may need a developer to:
- Remove or defer scripts added directly to your site’s code.
- Set up asynchronous loading for any essential scripts.
4. Streamline your code
Clean and organise your website's codebase to enhance performance and maintainability.
Web editors can:
- Remove unused page elements, blocks, and widgets within the CMS.
You may need a developer to:
- Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML.
- Remove unused code across templates and components.
- Refactor or replace heavy frameworks with lighter alternatives.
According to a 2023 report from the Columbia Climate School, the Internet is responsible for approximately 2.5% to 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, surpassing the aviation industry's emissions.
5. Review hosting and infrastructure
Evaluate your hosting environment to ensure it meets your site's performance and security requirements.
Web editors can:
- Advocate for greener hosting solutions with decision-makers. You can start by checking your hosting provider with the Green Web Foundation. For example, Zengenti and its products are verified on the GWF directory.
- Review page speed reports to identify caching issues.
You may need a developer to:
- Migrate to a green hosting provider.
- Configure caching and set up a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
6. Delete or archive old content
Keep your site relevant and user-friendly by removing outdated content. Also increase site speeds by removing or archiving large files.
Web editors can:
- Use analytics to identify outdated or low-traffic content.
- Remove or archive old pages via the CMS.
- Set up redirects for deleted content where the CMS allows.
You may need a developer to:
- Implement complex redirect rules at the server level.
- Update navigation or sitemap files after removals.
7. Optimise fonts
Use web-safe fonts and limit the number of font variations to improve load times and consistency.
Web editors can:
- Limit font choices within page designs and templates (if customisable in the CMS).
You may need a developer to:
- Reduce the number of font files being loaded.
- Host fonts locally instead of relying on external sources.
8. Improve SEO and accessibility
Optimise content for organic search with technical SEO changes and ensure your site is accessible to all users. Accessibility and SEO go hand in hand.
Web editors can:
- Update page titles and meta descriptions
- Ensure non-decorative images have alt text.
- Structure content using proper heading levels (H1, H2, H3).
- You can use tools like Insytful to identify SEO and accessibility improvements.
You may need a developer to:
- Ensure semantic HTML is used in templates.
- Address accessibility issues embedded in the site’s code.
9. Control autoplay and animations
Disable autoplay features and limit animations to enhance user experience and reduce resource consumption.
Web editors can:
- Disable autoplay settings on embedded videos and media blocks.
You may need a developer to:
- Remove or optimise heavy JavaScript animations.
- Provide static fallbacks for motion-heavy sections.
10. Monitor and maintain
Regularly check your website for issues and perform necessary updates to ensure ongoing optimal performance.
Web editors can:
- Regularly check for broken links.
- Review analytics tools, like Google lighthouse or Insytful, to identify heavy or problematic pages.
- Schedule a clean-up every six to twelve months.
You may need a developer to:
- Resolve recurring backend issues that cause slow load times.
- Address technical debt contributing to poor performance.
What are the benefits of a website cleanup?
Performing regular website cleanup audits helps to maintain a user-friendly and efficient online presence that supports your business objectives. There are several benefits to auditing your website that website owners should not ignore, including:
- Enhanced user experience and engagement: Remove outdated or irrelevant content, simplify navigation and increase site engagement.
- Improved SEO and organic reach: Resolve broken links and delete duplicate content to increase search engine rankings and organic traffic.
- Faster load times: Remove unnecessary files and optimise media to increase page load speed, improve the browsing experience and reduce bounce rates.
- Consistent branding: Spot-check branding across all pages, reinforce brand identity and build trust with your audience.
- Identifying content gaps: Reveal areas where content is lacking, address topics of interest to your audience and establish your authority in the field.
- Accessibility compliance: Review content compliance with accessibility standards. Make your content inclusive for everyone and reduce legal risks.
Why website audits and cleanups matter
According to a 2023 report from the Columbia Climate School, the Internet is responsible for approximately 2.5% to 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, surpassing the aviation industry's emissions. And data centres, which store and deliver web content, consume about 1% of the world's electricity.
Therefore, optimising your website can significantly reduce your organisation's environmental footprint. It also enhances website load times, reduces hosting costs, and improves SEO and user experience.
By implementing these steps, web editors and developers can collaborate to create efficient, user-friendly, and environmentally responsible websites that align with your organisation's sustainability goals.
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