Sometimes, I come away from recording a podcast episode with a long list of things to do. This was one of those episodes! Molly Scanlan joined me this week to chat about sustainability, our online carbon use and small tweaks we can do to improve our business online in a sustainable way.
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Molly Scanlan
Molly builds low carbon, privacy-friendly websites for social enterprises and non-evil small businesses. If your current website no longer fits you, or is a shonky DIY job you’re embarrassed to show people, she can sort it out. She used to be a teacher, so everything can be explained as if you’re a 6 year old.
Website: https://www.mollygetsitdone.com/signup/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scanlanmolly/
Mentioned Websites
Fathom (Affliate Link): https://usefathom.com/ref/AQXGUO
Website Carbon: https://www.websitecarbon.com/
Digital Beacon: https://digitalbeacon.co/
Below Radar: https://belowradar.co.uk/
Surveillance Capitalism: https://shoshanazuboff.com/book/
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Podcast Transcript
Emma Cossey
Hello, everybody, welcome to another episode of The Freelancer’s Teabreak. This week is an episode where we bring on a lovely freelance guest. And this week is going to be a really, really interesting one. I think it’s gonna give a lot of people some ideas of what they can be doing. Because we’ve got Molly Scanlan on. I’ve just realised that I didn’t check before we hit record, is that how you pronounce your surname?
Molly Scanlan
Yes, Scanlan. It’s sort of like that ‘on’ sound at the end of Scanlan. It’s called a schwa that noise, just FYI
Emma Cossey
I didn’t know that. Already learning things. So Molly is coming on to talk sustainable websites or sustainability around websites. First of all, before we do that, can we dig in a little bit into your freelance experience, your journey so far? How did you become freelance? How long have you been doing it? A little bit more about that.
Molly Scanlan
So, I used to be a primary school teacher. I was actually teaching nursery at the end. And then I kind of burnt out from that and got a few issues with the education system in general. That’s for a different podcast. And so I just left, and I thought I’ll take a bit of time and figure out what to do next. But that was February 2020. So
it wasn’t really in my control what I did next, in a way. So, I started doing writing, I was doing sort of content marketing, a little bit of sort of verging on journalism ish. And then through doing that, and a social enterprise I was working on, I taught myself how to make websites. And I thought, this is fun. So, then I started doing that. And I sort of realised, even though I left teaching, I obviously just can’t stop teaching, so I just teach myself new stuff. And then obviously, as you know, every Freelancer sort of has to teach themselves how to, you know, be a bit of an accountant, what marketing is, how to use social media, all those other things. So yes, I’ve been building websites for, I guess, only like two and a half years, though, but I realised, when I was looking back that I actually, I built a website in probably the mid to late 90s, on some website builder very, very slowly over dial up, post 6pm when it was free. So yeah, I mean, in a way, I was just coming back to it. And then yeah, over the last couple of years, I’ve just been learning a lot more about the environmental impact of digital, basically. And so, I’ve sort of, yeah, trying to make my builds as kind of low carbon as possible, and also take quite a bigger view of sustainability. So, I also don’t want to feed surveillance capitalism and using loads of tracking stuff and letting Google make loads of money off our data. And yeah, things like that. So yeah, that’s what I offer now is a sustainable website for non-evil businesses.
Emma Cossey
Where did the drive to particularly look at the sustainability thing? Is that something that you’ve always had, always been interested in? Or is there anything in particular that inspired that?
Molly Scanlan
Yeah, I mean, in my just general life, I try and, you know, make good choices. Like I don’t have a car and doing, you know, refilling things, instead of buying packaging and buying second-hand clothes and stuff like that. And then, yeah, I mean, it’s when you sort of learn about the environmental impact of digital, it’s yeah, loads of people don’t realise it’s even a thing. I feel really bad because when you meet people at networking events and things they are like ‘what do you do?’ and I say I build low carbon websites, or sustainable websites, and people are a bit confused. And I’m just feel like a horrible kind of grim reaper of bad news as like, oh, sorry, you thought because you’ve gone paperless and that putting everything online that it was good for the environment. But yeah, I think naming it the Cloud has been a bit of a disservice to everyone because it sounds really light and fluffy and almost invisible. And it’s all just up there not taking up space, but it’s not, it’s huge warehouses full of hot hot computers, storing every tweet and email and website you’ve made. Yeah, just want to try and help clear it up, basically.
Emma Cossey
Yeah, because I have to confess until a couple years ago, I am a chronic archiver of emails. And I didn’t realise that how much carbon footprint I guess or carbon use that was and ever since then, it’s been like, yep okay, I’m going to try and delete as much as possible now, but it’s, yeah, it is I think it’s very, very common ignorance that you don’t think about the impact that your online activities are taking and setting up sites and domains and hosting and all that kind of thing. So, what kind of things can people be thinking about when it comes to their websites and making them more sustainable.
Molly Scanlan
So, the first thing you can do is check what your current websites doing, because you can’t take any action or make some changes until you know where you’re up to right now. So, there’s a couple of tools that you can just put your URL in, and it tells you, yeah, how much carbon your website produces. And it’s not perfect, as people probably know, from carbon footprint, even as a term is sort of problematic and very hard to calculate because if you think about something like a website, there’s the data centre, where it’s hosted, and then there’s transferring it across the world. But then there’s also the resources that went into making your device and your energy you’re using to charge it up at home, and all sorts of very nuanced and kind of secondary and tertiary effects that it’s very hard to keep track of. But you know, it’s somewhere to start with a rough guide of where your website is sitting compared to, you know, the average website, basically, and the main thing is to try and get the file size of the actual website as small as possible, because you know, wherever it’s being transferred by whatever device, if there’s less of it, then it’s gonna be better.
So, we can put it in the show notes, the links to some of these calculators, there’s one called Website Carbon made by these really lovely people, I’ve met them, called Wholegrain Digital. And that’s quite nice, because it gives you a big red or a green banner, depending on if you’re in the kind of top or bottom half of how clean or dirty your website is, it says. And then there’s another one I like to use called Digital Beacon, because that just gives you a bit more of a breakdown of the actual size of the file. And also, somebody’s first visit to your website will have a different carbon kind of effect, then the subsequent because of caching. That’s when it’s kind of a bit pre-loaded, because you’ve been there before. So yeah, so that would be the first port of call for anyone who’s interested in this, just plug your website URL into one of those and then see where you stand, basically. And it might be that it’s really low. I mean, sometimes it can really surprise you. I had somebody, I do like audits for people, so I can, you know, check the footprint and go through how people can improve and I had someone who’s doing that, and she built her website on like, GoDaddy’s sort of native website builder, which I mean, a lot of people have bad experiences with them as a company. But the thought that a kind of drag and drop, inbuilt builder would be quite chunky, because often Squarespace websites are often bigger than other websites just because they’ve got all that kind of helpful user functionality, but it means it’s made up of a lot of code. But her GoDaddy website was really light, there was only really sort of small little gains that I could advise her to take, it was really surprising. So yeah, don’t think because you haven’t sort of coded your site from scratch that it’s going to be horrible. But it might be a bit horrible. But yeah, the sort of quick thing you can do is do that check.
And then another tip, I would give people because one of the main culprits for you know, adding weight to the website, is images. I mean videos are the worst. But images are just, they’re just a bigger file. So, I would go through the images on your website, and just check how big they are like the physical dimensions because sometimes your website’s loading a sort of 2000 pixel wide image. And it’s actually only displaying 400 pixels wide, even on a big desktop. So going through those and just seeing can you just physically resize it, and then re upload it will make a difference. Yeah, there’s lots of lots of other things you can do with the images and other things. But it’s a bit overwhelming. So, I would probably advise listeners to do those two things first.
Emma Cossey
You also touched on, I can’t remember the phrase you used, but it was about Google and surveillance.
Molly Scanlan
Surveillance capitalism.
Emma Cossey
Love that.
Molly Scanlan
So is that something I’m still sort of learning about, just throwing around that, the woman who sort of coined that term and has written a lot about it, and her name is completely escaped me. She’s American. She’s written a book about it. But it’s essentially that all of this data that we sort of giving freely or an exchange for free services to these big massive tech companies. They’re making loads of money off it, which it just feels not very nice, which isn’t a particularly well thought out political ideology, but it just seems grubby. But I know there’s obviously the argument, you know, like I’ve got a Nectar card and a Tesco whatever it’s called card, because obviously, a lot of the time we’re like, well, I don’t mind if they know that I
I buy this kind of bread, because then they give me vouchers for that kind of bread and it’s fine. But you know, you might have seen it with elections recently that they’re using that data, not just to sort of harvest but to almost then influence as well. So they use that data to, you know, in the algorithm on your feed and the kind of information that you’re getting, and they use it. Yeah, it’s particularly in elections, where they can use that data to manipulate people. So, it’s sort of you know, it’s not just nectar points, it’s a threat to democracy.
Emma Cossey
That’s frightening.
Molly Scanlan
Yeah, yeah. And as I say, I’m not an expert expert on that. I just sort of, it doesn’t feel right to me. And there’s a nice, there’s a website and a community called Below Radar that Dave Smyth runs that I found really helpful, we can put a link to that as well. But just more information and alternatives. Because I have analytics on my websites. It’s just not Google Analytics. And it’s just better, so I’m not, it doesn’t take any personal identifiable data, it doesn’t track people or leave loads of cookies in people’s websites. And it’s actually much easier to use. I don’t know if anybody’s been into Google Analytics and you just think there are so many buttons here. What does all this mean? But this one, I just login, it says, here’s all the people that come to the website, here’s the search, and you know, where they came from, and the countries they’re in, and whether they’re on a mobile and desktop. And for most small business owners that’s really all you need. You know, you see loads of people from LinkedIn this month, because I did those posts. That’s good. I’ll keep doing those posts, and then move on with your life.
Emma Cossey
Google Analytics is an awful tool. We’ve just recently moved from Google Analytics to a tool called Fathom. I don’t know where they stand with that, but much, much easier to see all the information. Yeah, Google Analytics, especially since they’ve moved is just horrendous. But yes, so I don’t know how they sound with…
Molly Scanlan
I think Fathom is one of the nice guys, I’m pretty sure.
Emma Cossey
Yay.
Molly Scanlan
And they’re much lighter as well, Google Analytics is such a little chunky beast, it’s adding more bytes to the size of your website, but that the privacy friendly ones are generally like the tiny little slight little files that hardly add to your carbon of your yeah, so it feels like a win win win to me, that it’s not helping Google, it’s easier to use and it’s lighter. I mean, you do have to pay for them, which is the you know, the thing people often say is, if you’re not paying for it, you are the product. So obviously, part of the reason Google Analytics is so popular, even though it’s tricky to use is because it’s free. And people, the majority, you know, lots of people still still use Google as their go to search engine. So, trying to use the tools to optimise your site to come up in Google Search is obviously a big part of people’s marketing. So that will take time to change if people are up for changing it. So, we’re all little small business owners, but there’s little steps that we can do to try and turn the tide. A few megabytes off your website and then yeah, a few less people using Google Analytics.
Emma Cossey
So, I think there’s a, there’s lots of little things there that people can be doing. So look at the images sizes, look at different Google Analytics. Is there anything they can do around like, cookies and stuff like that? Is that part of it as well, like the cookie permissions and what you allow on your site?
Molly Scanlan
Yeah, so it’s, those analytics trackers are often the ones that are leaving cookies on people’s website. I mean, cookies aren’t an evil thing. Some of them are sort of functional, or, you know, if you’re logged into the backend of your website, there’s a cookie making that work. So yeah, there are again, there’s tools, you can just put your website address in and check what cookies are being left of what type, but like, my website doesn’t do any. But I say, I’ve got that privacy friendly analytics, and then, you know, that’s it. I don’t have many bells and whistles going on. So yeah, but I do understand it’s tricky. People have got their sort of marketing plans and we kind of, you know, some within the system we’re sort of currently in. People have got the Facebook pixel or Google Analytics and things that it might be harder to go from. But you’ve moved. Seems alright for you going to Fathom?
Emma Cossey
Yeah, to be honest, once I went in and saw how simple and easy it was to view everything. It’s actually very, very easy to set up. So much easier to set up than Google Analytics, actually. So yeah, I would highly recommend that. I think that’s what people are scared about. I think people are scared that they will have to make all these big changes. But actually, it sounds like a lot of these little small shifts, like using maybe like an image, like I think I’ve used something like, WP Smush or something on WordPress, or something like that. But I guess it’s like, yeah, small changes to the images, all these small tweaks that can really stack up.
Molly Scanlan
Yeah, I mean, ideally, you know, you have that kind of sustainable goggles on, I’ve started calling them, which is just confusing, so you don’t misspeak and say Google by mistake, but from the beginning, like from the beginning of the design, because it’s about the choices you’re making, you know, even before you build a website, that marketing plan, sort of what’s my choices around that? You know, do I want to be using these Google products, or can I think of a marketing plan that doesn’t rely on them. And it’s the choices you make about the design, about the layout of your website, and what pages you’re going to have. And even the colours, like when you’re doing branding. Most smartphone screens, it lights up the whole screen. But the newer phones have a screen called an OLED screen where actually lights up each pixel individually. So, if I’m loading a white page, all those pixels have to light up. But if it’s like a black page with one white word on it, then only the white ones would have to light up or the black. So, there’s some colours on those screens are actually more environmentally friendly. Blue takes more energy than red to load up.
There’s this interesting article by the Design Council. They did a rebrand recently, and they were thinking about the choices they made of colours and fonts and everything was thinking in digital and in print. How is this going to, you know, literally take less ink, take less light to light up. So, they’ve got black and red for their colours.
Yeah, but the great thing is that, like with the analytics, it’s kind of a win win. So, the stuff that will make it more efficient, carbon wise, will also make your website better for your users, and better for speed and therefore SEO. It will, you know, if you have a really well construct a website where it’s so obvious, the copy is really good, the interface is really good, the site maps really good. If people can get to your website and get quickly to what they need. They’re just loading less pages. So, it’s going to be lower carbon, but they’re also going to be happier and getting quicker to buying from you or wherever you want to do, and the website will be faster. So, it will get brownie points with the search engines. So actually, it’s not like a really annoying thing that, you know, I have to walk 10 extra minutes to recycle this special kind of bottle that I can’t chuck in the recycling bin, like it actually benefits you and your business as well as the environment basically.
Emma Cossey
Yeah, from a freelancing point actually, so I’ve recently been creating something called an ‘everything page’, which is an Elizabeth Goddard kind of invention, where it basically is a page which has everything you offer. And especially if you’re someone who has a lot of different things, it has like a homepage, and then there’s a section for the free stuff, paid stuff, higher paid stuff. So, everything that you offer is on one page. And I guess that kind of feeds into having less pages then on your website, because I think we all kind of think we have to have a different page for everything. But maybe it would be better to have with particular with your services and resources, one page that covers most things, or is it better to have it separately?
Molly Scanlan
It depends. It depends on your business and how it’s set up. It doesn’t mean you’re not allowed lots of pages if you need. It’s about that kind of minimalism idea where minimalism doesn’t mean that you’ve got hardly any stuff, it just means you’ve got exactly what you need to achieve your goals. So, some people can achieve their business goal for their website with a one page website. But other people you know, depends if you’ve got different audiences or different kinds of ways into your services you might do but if you have an audience that might be interested in all those different services, you’re basically making a sort of restaurant menu aren’t you of all your stuff. Yeah, anything that helps people efficiently get to what they need. But obviously, on a website where you’re trying to sell something that might not be the first page they land on. So, in an ideal world, we could just have a website that just says, ‘here’s what I do, here’s the button to buy it’. But you know, marketing has to be a little bit more a bit more foreplay than that. But if you find that that works, and then you can look at your analytics and see if people are sort of going on that page and buying and buggering off again, then it’s working.
Emma Cossey
Brilliant. So, you sound a bit like me in that you have a website or a tool for lots of different things. So where is the best place to find this information, to book an audit with you. I have a feeling quite a few people listening are now thinking, I know I need to book an audit now and find out a little bit more but your services.
Molly Scanlan
So my website is mollygetsitdone.com. And yeah, everything’s on there. The green audit, I just added a blog on there. So, my first post is a post called, What is a sustainable website? So, it’s got a big ol load of stuff about privacy and, you know, kind of what I think that that means and how I sort of design for it. So yeah, there’s more information there. And I’ve got a little newsletter. The USP is that it’s very short, it comes out every week. So, you can sign up to that on my website as well. But yeah, everything’s on the website, mollygetsitdone.com
Emma Cossey
And I will also say you’re very good on LinkedIn as well. So well worth a follow on there if you want.
Molly Scanlan
All right. I just been thinking I haven’t posted for ages, a better get some more on there before this podcast goes out.
Emma Cossey
No, definitely, as I mentioned before the podcast, Jo who works with me, she definitely knows you through LinkedIn. I think that’s how I’ve seen your posts and things as well. You’re doing your brilliant work on there, so really educational.
Molly Scanlan
Thank you.
Emma Cossey
Thank you so much for coming on. And just to final kind of finish up, what is one thing that you would love everybody to go away and do after they listen to this episode?
Molly Scanlan
I’d say go and check the carbon footprint of your website and then don’t panic. Do things.
Emma Cossey
Excellent. Thank you so much.
Molly Scanlan
Thanks for having me.
Emma Cossey
Bye, everyone.