# Sustainability Audit of University Websites in Poland:
## 6 Conclusions
### Limitations and Further Research  
The analysis demonstrates that some optimisation techniques found on university websites can aid in curbing their adverse environmental impact. However, it is unclear whether they result from conscious efforts to implement the organisation's sustainability policy or emerge from haphazard technical decisions unrelated to the concept. It is impossible to determine whether environmental actions were implemented as a purposeful strategy or were driven by other motives, such as Technical SEO or improved conversion rates, because no insight is available into the motivations of the administration and technical personnel. Therefore, the conclusions concerning the environmental alignment of university websites in Poland should be critically considered as indirect. The results should be verified in-depth with qualitative methods, like interviews, analysis of strategic documents, or observation of decision making in teams tasked with designing and maintaining websites. Note that the analysis was dynamic and cross-sectional. University websites are continuously updated, modified, and expanded, which means that the results reflect their state at the moment of taking measurements (ad hoc) and may change rapidly, regardless of the university's intentions. This problem is consistent with web ephemerality, where content is temporary, short-lived, and susceptible to rapid modifications. Furthermore, the study is limited by the partial subjectivity of the evaluations using audit tools, especially those that employ complex aggregate indicators, such as the EcoImpact Score. Although the measurement procedure was unified and the test conditions were controlled, the indicators permit diverse interpretations and weights depending on the methodology and analytical context. Note that the audit disregarded perceptions and intentions, including the \"awareness\" and knowledge of editorial teams or strategic organisational decisions. The study investigated solely the home pages of the universities. These pages pertain to the entire university and do not reflect diversified organisational structures. Therefore, the study does not discern digital needs and design priorities of individual faculties or departments (such as humanities vs. engineering). Although this reduction can disregard local optimisation strategies, it was necessary to ensure methodological consistency. Future studies could investigate how universities balance user expectations and the specific needs of individual units with sustainable design requirements. Future research could investigate whether universities whose strategic documents declare engagement in sustainable development achieve better results in Green SEO audits than those without such commitments. This way, one could assess the extent to which the declarative values are reflected in practice. Another worthy aspect is whether universities that measure the carbon footprint of their websites are more environmentally engaged when managing their digital assets. Such results could help propose recommendations for universities that wish to improve their environmental responsibility through conscious and sustainable website management. It would also be interesting to analyse the motives behind web optimisation towards lower emissions and reduced environmental impact. Other promising research vectors include: (1) monitoring of legislative initiatives concerning environmental aspects of digital technologies, (2) devising quantifiable indicators and reference standards for web CO\({}_{2}\) emissions, and (3) analysing costs and barriers for deploying low-emission digital solutions in the public sector. International studies to benchmark university websites across European Union states are also recommended. Such an endeavour could form a foundation for future climate policies for the digital domain and help develop standards for a sustainable transformation of the digital infrastructure in the public sector.