Can I use any image for my website?

Everyone knows that a picture says a thousand words. It’s a given that any blogger or business is better off enhancing their site content with images. Where do you get these images then? Are you allowed to use any photo you find on the internet? If you don’t know the answer yet, keep on reading because these tips may save you from future headaches.

Lawful use of images

You would think that any picture available on the internet can be used freely, right? Unfortunately that is not true. Many images are protected by copyright laws and unless you get permission from the creator, steer away from those. Here are some ways you may get permission:

Purchase (the right to use) the image
Use images released in the Public Domain
Download images available under Creative Commons license
Ask the owner
Create your own

Respect creativity

Just like you would like others to respect your creations, you can show your respect by not using images without permission. If you have their permission, be so kind to give proper attribution and let visitors know the source of images. You can do so by including their name and link in the caption or elsewhere on your site. This can only create goodwill and it is how you would want to be treated if you were the photographer or illustrator.

Go picture-wild, within limits

Nothing can stop you now from creating engaging and appealing articles to attract more readers. It is a fact that people are more interested in articles that include pictures, so have at it! just don’t go overboard.

A few things to keep in mind when adding pictures to your site. Keep visitors engaged on your site by avoiding

Gigantic images that require a lot of scrolling; use medium or smaller sizes
Too many pictures that drown out written content, unless it’s your portfolio
Slow download times of your images; compress or resize first
Pictures that are not on topic, it’ll be distracting
Low quality images that may look blurry; sharp photos makes viewers want to hang on.

Another way to optimize your images is by using descriptive file names, adding ALT tags and captions.

Tips to find images that are free to use and share

Most people will google images they need for publications, that’s where I also go first to find a plethora of useful pictures. Images displayed will include the free and paid kind, so how will you know which you can use?

This is one way to find free images:

Start your Google search by topic, i.e. dogs
Click on Images to display photos
Go to Settings on the google menu bar
Click on Advanced Search
On the last row (Usage rights), select “free to use or share”
Click on Advanced Search again to see new results
Select the image you like and download from the source site.

The new results show you images that can be used with or without attribution, depending on the source site.

List of tools for free images

This is my main go-to list of sites that allow free use of their images:

Tools to create & edit your own images:

Canva.com (site & app)
Spark.adobe.com (site & app)
Snapseed (app for iPhone)
Gimp.org (software)
Paint.net (software)

Want more tips? Click on the link to learn more about using images for your website.

What do you use to visually enhance your blog or website? Please share with us below.