Chris Naylor is the owner of Bnode Ltd, an ethical digital marketing agency based in Huddersfield. They build digital assets that focus on sustainability and reduce CO2 output, building websites and assets in an accessible way, considering the needs of the neurodivergent and visually impaired.
What made you decide to move from working in Manchester to Huddersfield, and how does it differ?
It’s less of a commute since I live in Huddersfield. Thinking about the environment as well, I’m obviously driving a lot less. With Huddersfield, it’s a beautiful place to be, so I can be working in a busy town centre area or a meeting near the university and then I can drive five minutes away and have rolling green landscapes. I find it’s a beautiful area for both working and for living.
Where did the Bnode name come from?
When I talk about the brand name, many people wonder where it came from. Bnode aims to become a certified B Corp Trainer in 2026. B Corps stands for Benefit Corporation, and I like doing things to benefit others, so I liked the letter B to start with. I went for a lovely walk with my partner in the woods locally and we were picking up lots of different leaves and plants and looking at trees. Whilst observing the leaf and the veins, it occurred to me that the Bnode logo could be a leaf containing digital veins, therefore combining sustainability and digital marketing in one. I was also inspired by the concept of nodes in nature, and how they are fundamental in allowing plants to grow. Another factor was the origin of the internet, which was founded on a 2node network, an A node and a B node. Being in a town that not only has a lot going on commercially, with a legacy as an industry powerhouse, but also is connected to the natural world, made Bnode a natural fit as a name.
What are your thoughts on Huddersfield as a growing business and creative hub?
I’ve lived here for about 13 years now, and it sometimes seems that Huddersfield is overlooked when it comes to business, in favour of its bigger neighbours like Leeds. Leeds has its own fortnight-long event, Leeds Digital, where lots of digital agencies showcase their activities. I was talking last year to the organiser, expressing that I’d like to put something on in Huddersfield. He suggested that by hosting a possible fringe event in Huddersfield, we could steer awareness towards the fantastic talent and creativity present in the town.
How do you think businesses in Huddersfield could be more ethical, sustainable, and inclusive?
I set up Bnode about three years ago, after 25 years of being in the industry. I’ve always been in a digital world, whether as a head of a digital department to drive sales, or on the agency side as a head of projects, or as a director, like in my last role in an agency in Manchester.
If we look at other countries, for example America, they’ve got ADA, the Americans with Disability Act, the EU has policies in place as well with regards to online inclusion. The UK has the Equality Act of 2010 and although that’s been updated, it’s still quite old school in respect of its online inclusivity.
In the last three years that I’ve been trying to push the agenda, I first thought I’d be spreading digital inclusion awareness. It’s quite rapidly expanded into consulting and advising businesses about the larger picture and employing people who are neurodivergent. I’d love to live in a world where people have inclusive websites with tools which allow people to change fonts and colours, like the Bnode tool we’ve created. It’s not just a Huddersfield thing; it’s a UK wide thing. I don’t see why we can’t create an inclusion hub or a sustainability hub within Huddersfield.
I’m a member of the Digital Poverty Alliance, who have a strong presence around Yorkshire as well as down in London in the House of Commons who push agendas with regards to digital poverty. In Yorkshire, there are people living in areas where there isn’t strong internet connectivity. I also introduced the concept to them of poverty being when types of communities and audiences aren’t catered for, such as blind users.
Huddersfield Unlimited aims to showcase the town’s strengths. How do you see Bnode contributing to Huddersfield’s reputation as a leader in responsible business?
I think responsible business is vitally important. I think if people live in Huddersfield, they will automatically care somewhat about the environment because we’re surrounded by it. We’ve got all this green and we love it. When I start talking about inclusion and accessibility with my clients, they often say “I never thought about that, I never thought about how my digital assets can be more inclusive”. It’s nice to be around Huddersfield to meet so many people that care about their ethics, because for me as a business that’s focusing on that, it’s much easier to get somebody involved in what we do.
Inclusivity is a core value at Bnode. What strategies do you implement to ensure digital accessibility for all users?
We won’t do websites or apps without doing inclusivity. We try to keep costs low, even though it takes more time, energy, and effort to build a site that’s got all the things that many people overlook. I believe it’s the right thing to do and it should be a standard.
For example, many people don’t realise that sending an average email is equivalent to using a 60-watt light bulb for three seconds. Growing up, we were told to turn off lights to save electricity, but we don’t often think about energy use in the digital world. People frequently hit ‘Reply All’ without considering how much data they’re sending, especially if there are large email chains and images in signatures. Small changes can make a difference, like avoiding email attachments and instead sharing cloud links. Sending a link to 20 people is much more efficient than sending a multi-megabyte PDF to everyone.
For me, it’s not about making big money or chasing clients. I just want people to think differently and make positive changes. If I can help others become more mindful of their digital impact, that’s job satisfaction for me.
The digital world is rapidly evolving. In the next five years, where do you see the future of ethical digital marketing?
It’s remarkable where we are currently and where we’re going to be. I think we all thought maybe it stopped when we got mobile phones, but then phones got faster, they went into tablets instead of a laptop. Everyone talks about AI now and how much it’s going to change the world. One thing that is interesting is a lot of digital agencies will say that you must know how to work algorithms to try and increase your social presence. I think now with AI, there’s such an overload of information going out. I’ve realised that AI has its place, but I think that it needs human intervention. I would say if you put out quality rather than quantity, not only are you reducing your digital footprint, but you’re sharing content that people are engaging with and want to see.
I think that more people will cotton on to AI, even Google, and I’d like to see SEO algorithms including aspects of accessibility. I would like to see quality fact checking and accessibility tools being an important aspect. Around five years ago, I was speaking to my team about how I thought VEO was going to be a thing (voice engine optimisation), for example, saying “tell me where the nearest fish chip shop is”. It’d be interesting to see where that goes when it comes to AI’s implementation of information or misinformation.
Many businesses are looking to transition towards greener digital practices. What are some first steps you’d recommend for companies wanting to become more sustainable online?
There are many companies focused on measuring energy consumption in buildings, but few consider digital assets’ output. I’ve spoken to companies about this, and they typically don’t track it, which is interesting as we build a network around this area at Bnode.
There are online tools where you can enter your website’s URL and visitor data and it will analyse the homepage, checking elements like videos, images, and background code. Many website builders add unnecessary code, making sites heavier. These tools calculate how much data your website processes and translate it into an environmental impact, such as how many trees’ worth of energy are consumed for example.
Some businesses aim for net zero but haven’t fully considered their website’s impact. They might host on renewable energy or optimize images for smaller file sizes, but many don’t realise how much digital content contributes to their carbon footprint.
From a marketing perspective, this is part of the ‘people, planet, profit’ idea. Businesses need profit to pay their team, but they can also show their commitment to corporate social responsibility. For example, they can reduce their website’s carbon footprint and promote it as an ethical initiative.
This ties into accessibility as well. If a company launches a new website, they could highlight it as an ‘inclusive website,’ ensuring accessibility for the two million blind and three million colourblind people in the UK. Sometimes, businesses with similar products and services need unique selling points. CSR and accessibility can be great differentiators. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also makes business sense.
What’s next for Bnode? Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives you’re particularly excited about?
I had a good year last year, and we’ve been growing steadily. We’ve reinvested into an accessibility tool that’s now a standard feature on all our websites. Initially, I wanted it to allow users to change font sizes, colours, and backgrounds. We also added tools for people with dyslexia or ADHD, like a screen ruler that follows the mouse or helps highlight text to reduce distractions.
Some of the features I want to introduce are more innovative, like bionic reading and making fonts easier to read. Instead of just using standard accessibility fonts like Arial or Roboto, I want to develop something even more user-friendly.
I’ve spoken with Doncaster Deaf Trust, and they believe one of my inclusion innovation ideas could revolutionise how deaf individuals use the internet. However, implementing it requires significant funding. Large companies like Apple and YouTube are interested, but they want exclusive rights to the technology. I don’t want that. I want it to be open source so everyone can benefit. The technology exists, and combining my ideas with existing tools could make this a reality, but it will take financial support.