Images can also be licensed under Creative america phone number Commons to require attribution. This means you must name and link to the photographer or artist from your blog post. If you prefer not to do this, you’ll need to source images that don’t require attribution.
Note: licensing an image under Creative Commons doesn’t mean the photographer/artist has given up their copyright. For instance, you can’t take their image and claim that you made it yourself.
You can find out all about Creative Commons on the Creative Commons website.
This might all sound very daunting, and I hope I haven’t put you off ever using images on your blog again The good news is there are plenty of ways to find images that you can safely use. And I’m going to share some of the best ones with you now.
Option #1: Use Stock Photographs You Pay For
There are plenty of stock photo sites out there that sell images, normally for a fairly small fee. If you want high-quality images for your site this is a good option, although it may be unrealistic to pay for an image every time you write a blog post.
Stock photos can be a good option for products/services you offer. Even if you don’t want to use them regularly, you might want to dip into stock libraries occasionally. Just check the terms and conditions carefully to make sure you’re allowed to use them in this way.
Some large, reputable stock photo sites include:
- iStockPhoto
- Fotolia (now Adobe Stock)
- Shutterstock
- Shutterpoint
- Dreamstime
As well as letting you buy individual images, most stock photo sites let you buy a subscription plan. If you want a lot of stock photos (e.g. you want to use one in every post you write), this may be better value.
Stock images are normally available in a variety of sizes, with the smallest size being the cheapest. If you want a 500px wide image for a blog post, the smallest size will often be all you need.
Option #2: Use Free Images that are Creative Commons Licensed for Commercial Use
While you could use non-commercial licensed Creative Commons images if you’re blogging as a hobby, it’s safest to use only images that have been licensed for commercial use. This way, if you monetise your blog in the future you won’t have to worry about whether it’s still okay to use all of your images.
Free images vary in quality, and you may find your search doesn’t bring up many options. And some of the better free images may have already appeared on a lot of other blogs in your niche. So you might need to dig around a bit to find ones you’re happy to use for your posts.
But since you’re not paying anything, you can always switch an image for a new one if you find something better in the future.
We’ve covered lots of great places to find free images for your blog here on ProBlogger before, so I’ll share just three good options here:
Pexels – All images on the site are licensed for commercial use and don’t need attribution.
Flickr – Some images are copyrighted, while others are licensed under various Creative Commons licenses. You can use the Advanced search to find commercial-use images.
Unsplash – As with Pexels, all images are licensed for commercial use and don’t need attribution.
Option #3: Creating Your Own Images
Finally, you could create your own images for your blog. That might mean taking photos, sketching cartoons, creating digital art, or whatever you enjoy.
Using your own images can make your blog feel especially real and authentic to readers. In some types of blogging – e.g. if you’re a craft blogger – it’s expected that you’ll use your own images of your projects.
Taking Photos for Your Blog
You don’t need to be super professional, but updated 2024 mobile phone number data try to make it the best you can. If you have a DSLR camera, learn how to use it properly. Who knows? You might discover an entirely new hobby to blogging!
ProBlogger’s sister site, Digital Photography School, has plenty of resources to help you. A good place to begin is on the Start Here page.
Using Screenshots on Your Blog
Another type of image you can create is a screenshot. These can be very helpful when giving a tutorial about how to do something online. If you’re using screenshots of web pages that are publicly available, the copyright holder (i.e. the website owner) probably wouldn’t object. But it never hurts to check with them.
If you want to use screenshots in a paid-for product (such as an ebook) or something people have to sign up for (such as a free email course), always check with the copyright holder first.
I know there’s a lot to take in here, especially if you’ve been using Google to find images in the past.
If you’re worried the images you’ve already Συνέντευξη με τον Antoine Doury: η χρήση ομαδικών SMS από … used might be infringing someone’s copyright, it would be worth going through your posts and searching for each one in Google Images. (Click the camera icon next to the search bar to upload the image.)
Once you’ve found the image, track down the original source (e.g. a stock photography site or the photographer’s own website) and check whether the image is licensed under Creative Commons. If it isn’t, or you can’t be sure of the original source, take it down immediately and replace it with an image you can legally use.
How do you source great images for your blog? Or do you prefer to create your own? Share your tips with us in the comments.
