Understanding and Mitigating Webpage Data Bloat: Causes and Preventive Measures

The World Wide Web and web pages play an integral role, serving as the backbone for the myriad of services we rely on regularly. The size of web pages has increased constantly, which is not optimal considering the growing awareness of the substantial energy and resource consumption associated with Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This paper presents an analysis of 10,000 popular web pages and studies ways to use less data while still retaining the essential content. Our comprehensive analysis reveals the potential for remarkable data savings, amounting to over half of the data currently utilized. This paper highlights a conscientious approach to web page construction towards more environmentally sustainable digital services.