You know that it’s not okay to just grab an image you find in a Google Search and use it in on your website, right? If you didn’t know it, you do now. Which leaves the question of how do you find images you can use?
Of course, you can use services like Shutterstock where you can buy a license to use an image, and for special posts, like specific calls to action, you might want to go that route. But for your regular blog posts which you write weekly or more often? I doubt you want to pay for an image for each of those. So here’s some suggestions to find free posts you can use without infringement.
A Google Search on “free images for blog posts” will bring up lots of links. One I particularly like is Free Digital Photos. Each of the photos on the site are usable for free. There are a couple of conditions. You can only use one size, usually the smallest size. That’s fine for blog photos but not good for other projects, like book cover design. If you need a larger size, you’ll have to pay. You’re also required to publish an attribution, showing where you got the image. I downloaded the image for this post from Free Digital Photos, and you can see the attribution at the bottom of this post.
Here’s an attribution hint. I add the attribution text into the “Description” box when I upload an image in WordPress. Then when I go back to use the image again, I already know how to attribute it. If it’s a public domain image, I’ll add that so I know I don’t have to attribute it.
What if you can’t find quite the right image at one of the free stock photo sites? Maybe you are looking for a photo of a landmark or historic place? Or you just want something a bit off the beaten track? Try a Google Image Search, and select the “Labeled for Reuse” option under Search Tools
That should give you images which are free for commercial use. Yes, a blog is considered commercial use. When you find an image you like, click through to the page hosting the image (often Flickr or Wikimedia Commons), and you’ll see attribution requirements.
There. Now you know how to find free images which won’t get you in trouble!
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net