Pictures for my site?

34 replies
Since google apparently can rank a page higher if it has a picture included I´m on the search for a good place to get pictures, do I need to buy royalty free pictures for my site (expensive if using one one every page/post) or can I get it from free?

Obviously I get alot of pictures when doing a picture search but these sites might not like if just stealing them and putting on my site, right?

What do you do?

Sincerely
Karl
#pictures #site
  • Profile picture of the author drewdude
    You can either create your own images, ask the site owners permission to use the images, or you can simply do a google search for "stock images" or "royalty free images"
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  • Profile picture of the author threezerozero
    Karl

    try stock.xchng here's a link:

    stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site

    i use them for free stock images. sometimes they have what i need and sometimes they dont.

    Chris
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    • Profile picture of the author DenRich777
      The best place to get images for free for me is stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site
      I have found that using the "search bar" from the site doesn't always show the better images they have on the site itself, instead I go to "+image categories" form the drop down menu you can find all the photos you need for free and they're amazing photos too! Lucky for you that you know this. I only found this site after I bought loads of credits from another website like Canstockphoto.com which I found still had better deals on the cost of images than some other well known sites. You could also use GIMP to rearrange any other images you found on the web, as long as you make it look different than the original one, you're safe with copyrighted images. Change colors, do some cropping, remove or add objects etc.. Just use your imagination and have fun!
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      • Profile picture of the author luismmolina
        Originally Posted by DenRich777 View Post

        You could also use GIMP to rearrange any other images you found on the web, as long as you make it look different than the original one, you're safe with copyrighted images. Change colors, do some cropping, remove or add objects etc.. Just use your imagination and have fun!
        That is not truth, if you use copyrighted images even if they are changed, cropped, etc, etc, you are still infringing copyright.
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  • Profile picture of the author JayVance
    Also iconfinder.com is a great resource, I use it a lot for my blog posts and most of them are free to use.
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    • Profile picture of the author threezerozero
      Originally Posted by JayVance View Post

      Also iconfinder.com is a great resource, I use it a lot for my blog posts and most of them are free to use.
      that's a good one, Jay. there was a search site for pictures like that a while back i used to use but it got shut down. this is similar. thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author mbreezy
    If the image has no copyright I believe you are in the clear. I think worst case scenario if someone sees their image/property on your website would be a cease and desist letter(if you don't respond/adhere to it then it could get ugly).
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  • Profile picture of the author jpsween88
    I normally just use look for royalty free images, pictures definitely help SEO though so it is worth the effort to find an image or even pay the small fee.
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  • Profile picture of the author alfredcoin
    threezerozero,

    thanks for posting that site. It definitely had what i was looking for this time.

    Cheers,
    Alfred
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  • Profile picture of the author mattw93
    thanks threezerozero thatl come in handy
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  • Profile picture of the author Expresscanvas
    thanks for sharing it
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  • Profile picture of the author Joni D
    Google: google images,
    click --> advanced image search
    put in your niche kw or type of image you want
    usage rights: free to use, share, modify, even commercially
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  • Profile picture of the author icoachu
    It will only rank it higher if you label and tag your pictures correctly. Use keyword THEMES not spammy keyword. Keyword sniping doesn't work as smoothly as before.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesgan
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Search for images that have the "royalty free" notion associated with them.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ace573
      I have been searching for pics for my niche site and trying to be adsense complient. I was looking at several sites that sell pics, both english and spanish sites, and these sites have some pics that are duplicte from one site to the other.

      My question is, how do they know if you bought it or not? or you took it from someone that already has purchased it? Does the image carry some sort of code to identify that?
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  • Profile picture of the author Sheila Ross
    In the stock photos, almost all the photos have got watermarks on them. If you like any images, you may edit them a bit from photoshop. This can help you. Also, you can use google's advance search option to find royalty free pictures.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ace573
    I still havent found an answer to this question. Searching for pics, I come across several pages that sell the stock pictures that have the same pics. How would they know if you paid for them or not? So how can they prove your in copyright violation if several sites sell the same pics?
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    • Profile picture of the author luismmolina
      Originally Posted by Ace573 View Post

      I still havent found an answer to this question. Searching for pics, I come across several pages that sell the stock pictures that have the same pics. How would they know if you paid for them or not? So how can they prove your in copyright violation if several sites sell the same pics?
      Stock agencies, usually the biggest ones use special services like this:

      MatchEngine or similar to google image search but proprietary.

      Also contributors to this sites are monitoring the use of his images to look for copyright violations and if they find one, they most report to the stock agency.

      How they find it?, easy.. If the image has being sold 2 times and is in 4 different websites, just check dates or use similar tools like the ones above to look for data in the file. And you are almost done.

      To give you an idea, a copyright violation of Getty can go for $100,000

      The chance of being sued are kind of low, but being reported to Google by an angry photographer or agency is common and that can get your adsense account banned or your site removed from google.

      I like to play safe, use images from free stock sites and add some of paid sites like shutterstock, istockphoto, canstockphoto, etc in your "premium" content.

      Also if you ask for permission, you will see that a lot of photographers are willing to give the images for free in exchange for credit and knowing that the work is in a "non spammy site"
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  • Profile picture of the author Robsand
    Go to flicker and use their advanced search to find images that you can use commercially related to the topic of your blog post.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nics
    +1 for stock.xchng. I used to use Clipart but cancelled that and use stock.xchng mostly. Sometimes it has exactly what you're thinking of and other times, with a little creativity, I come away with something good enough or even better than what I had originally envisioned.
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  • Profile picture of the author wally247
    99% of "free" images suck!

    So here's what I started doing.


    Google "meme generator" and make something that way. If you've ever been to sites like I can Haz Cheezeburger or one of the 80 billion similar sites, you've seen memes before.


    It's just an image with different text which makes it funny. These things go viral every single day, so lots of people have seen them.

    Anyway, they make great images for sites and they get people talking.


    I made one for you below so you can see what they are all about if you don't know.
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    • Profile picture of the author MatroidX
      Lots of great resources here, thank you everyone.
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  • Profile picture of the author rockong
    Take it yourself or go to free stock photo websites

    I've seen greater conversions when you've taken the photos yourself. Better yet, if you can include a video of yourself. Both have to be high quality to actually convert whatever it is you're selling though!
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  • Profile picture of the author tremayne
    I use Dreamstime. They have an enormous selection and they are not expensive. I think it's worth giving readers something that looks good.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ben Clemons
    Here are my 2 favorite sites for royalty free images:

    1. stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site

    2. Free Photos - Free Images - Royalty Free Photos - Free Stock Photos - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

    Just be sure to read what you can and cannot do with each image. The 2nd link has some really awesome images, but you have to credit them with supplying the image on the page you post it on.
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  • Profile picture of the author Point Blank
    I have a few friends that have received lawsuits for copyrighted picture. I'd suggest to save your self the lawyer fees and only use royalty free photos. Do a google search and you'll find plenty of providers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ace573
    None of the free ones are any good for what I am searching for.

    Which is the cheapest option? Shutterstock seems the most expensive at 5 pics for $39.


    Edit: Found a better option. For $10 I downloaded more than 10 pics. Depositphotos its called.
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  • Profile picture of the author leroybutler
    you can also use SHUTTERSTOCK it can provide you with illustrations, videos, vectors and more..check it out!
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  • Profile picture of the author Expresscanvas
    yes its true u have to check on shutterstock
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  • Profile picture of the author socialsite
    It is very easy to get pictures now days by simply using your smart phone every where you go. Just out driving you can take pictures of clouds, nature, and more. Of course you can also do a google search for free pictures you can use, and also ask your friends if they have any good pics you can use as well. Your only limited by your imagination.
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  • Profile picture of the author Terry Kyle
    Originally Posted by Challe77 View Post

    Since google apparently can rank a page higher if it has a picture included
    That's terrible SEO advice Karl - ignore that.

    Quality images and videos will increase audience engagement but your ranking won't live or die by the inclusion or exclusion of a few images.
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  • Profile picture of the author PopOn
    You can get them for free on websites like stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site but you need to write to author about where you put them.
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