A blog is a big project. There are several details that you have to think about including the design, tone of voice for articles, and the editorial calendar. One of the last things you want to worry about is “Where am I going to find pictures for my blog?”
This can be a frustrating process. You search “free photos” and you end up on a stock website that gives you a pricing plan to download them. But look no further! PawLoyalty has done the work for you. Here is a list of websites that are FREE. “Free” meaning royalty-free, payment-free, and hassle free. Most importantly we have made sure that you can use these sites for commercial purposes.
The most you’ll spend is time searching through the good photos, the bad, and the ones that are just completely unrelated. But if you are willing to spend time over money, then here are some sites for you! Some of them require registration, and then you’ll be on your way to a great-looking blog! Blogs and websites, after all, are one of the first impressions a client will generate about your business.
Free Image Websites
Dreamstime.com/free-photosFreeimages.com
Freemediagoo.com
Freephotosbank.com
Freerangestock.com
Morguefile.com
Some sites provide free stock photos that require that you to give the photographer credit somewhere on your website or blog. The website Creative Commons advocates this licensing agreement:
“Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.”
If want to download photos with this agreement to give the photographer credit, you can look at these sites:
Creativecommons.org
Pixelperfectdigital.com
Ask Questions
If you still want to make absolute sure you can legally use the photos, here are some good questions to ask the website’s Customer Service:Can I manipulate the photo in anyway? (For example, if you would like to put text over the image.)
Can I use these alongside my brand on my pet business website, blog, newsletter, etc.?
More Tips for Downloading Images
Tip #1: Always, always check the image license agreement!Tip #2: Before downloading, ask your graphic designer what resolution your pictures have to be in order to look good and not pixelated.
Tip #3: If you’re concerned about having photos that don’t look cohesive with each other, you can manipulate them with a little Photoshop magic. Fine-tune them all a similar brightness or use filters! Images will enhance the personality of the blog overall, so don’t put so much thought into having images that all look similar as long as they are all high resolution and are relevant to your articles.
Tip #4: For finding photos, try typing in descriptive words (adjectives, feelings, etc) when searching for images. For example, instead of just “dog”, type in “smart dog” if your article is business related.
Tip #5: Before downloading, make a list of all the publications (blog, newsletter, email blasts, website, etc.) and topics that you need photos for. You don’t want to download the same types of photos. Build a collection that is versatile so that you’ll have stock photos for every occasion.
No comments :