Images enhance the look of your blog posts. Not adding images can hinder image search traffic and can also make your content look dull.
When you’re writing a tutorial post, you can always take screenshots and use them in your blog post. But when you’re writing a regular post, it’s better to use more “traditional” photos.
Did you know: Legally, you are not allowed to use any images from the internet on your blog?
If you don’t get permission, using copyrighted images can get you in serious legal trouble. Especially if you make money blogging, the copyrighted image holder can file a DMCA complaint and your blog post (and blog) could be removed from search engines.
But there are plenty of sites out there besides royalty-free image collections where all you need to do is provide a source link to the original poster.
- One of those sites is Flickr .
To use an image for commercial purposes, you only need to credit the original photo.
How to use Flickr Advanced Search to find free images for your blog
Flickr is an image sharing website where people can upload images and add a license.
Using Flickr's Advanced Search option, you can find images under these licenses.
We want to search for images that have a Creative Commons (CC) license. This will allow us to find photos that are legal for both commercial and non-commercial use.
Now, I'm not a lawyer, but I assume that "commercial purpose" means direct monetary gain. For example, if you use an image in a banner ad (to entice people to click on it), that's a "commercial purpose." But if you use an image in a blog post as a means of enhancing that post (and there's no direct monetary gain from that post), then it's not a "commercial purpose."
That being said, there is still a legal gray area between “commercial” uses. Some argue that a blog post with affiliate links or AdSense ads does qualify as “direct commercial use.” But again, this is a gray area with no legal precedent. If you want to play it safe, you should only search for images that allow “commercial” use.
- Please read CC's legal definition of "non-commercial" carefully and make your own informed decision.
Note: Even if the image is not "for direct commercial use," you may only use images in your blog post if they are under a Creative Commons license. Most images found in a Google search are not under a Creative Commons license.
You need to do the following:
Head to Flickr and add keywords to your image search.
Click the drop-down menu after "Any License" and select "All Creative Commons."
Doing so will return every image you are allowed to use if you provide a backlink to the original image.
If you want to use the image for commercial purposes (or just want to play it safe), you'll want to select the "Allow commercial use" option. If you want to modify the image (such as adding text), you'll want to select the "Allow modification" option. If you want to modify the image for commercial purposes (for example, to turn it into a banner ad), you'll want to select the "Allow commercial use and modification" option.
But if you are using the image to make your regular blog post more exciting and engaging, you can just search for images under any Creative Commons license and give credit (photographer’s name and link). This is the only way you can use the image legally.
Using images without inserting a link to the source may have legal consequences.
Creative Commons defines granting "appropriate permissions" as follows:
- “You must provide the name of the creator and attribution, copyright notice, license notice, disclaimer, and link to the material.”
Here's an example of this in action (see the image below for details):
Source: “Girl” by SpaceShoe – Licensed under Creative Commons
Again, make sure you understand all the legal implications before you start using Creative Commons licenses. Never use "non-commercial" images for "commercial" purposes. Read the Creative Commons FAQ for more information .
Here are some articles you should check out:
- Adding images to your blog posts can increase your website exposure
- Best WordPress Image Compression Plugins Compared
- Image SEO: Actionable Tips for Optimizing Image Traffic
What other sources do you use to find free images? Let me know in the comments below!
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