Blog Images: How to Find and Use Them Properly

By Tracy DiMarino | Posted February 17, 2010 | 7 Comment(s) | Filed in: Content Marketing, Internet Marketing

Images add value to blog posts by making them more visually appealing and interesting, helping readers conceptualize what you’re discussing, and providing searchers another way to find your Website (particularly if they are searching within the Images tab on Google, Yahoo or Bing).

We live in a collaborative online environment; however, finding the perfect image is a little bit more complicated than a quick Google search, and copy and paste.

Below are tips and resources to help you find that killer image for your blog post, without violating copyright laws.

Free Photos Using Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that lets creators grant copyright permissions to their creative work. Using Creative Commons’ free copyright licenses, authors and artists are able to specify how the public can share, use, repurpose and/or remix their work, as well as assign attribution requirements.

For example, some licenses allow only noncommercial use, while others restrict the public from modifying or remixing the creative piece. (See a full breakdown of Creative Commons’ licenses.)

By 2008, an estimated 130 million Creative Commons licenses had been issued. By searching this database, organizations can find free creative materials that they can legally reuse, as long as proper attribution guidelines are followed.

Searching for Images

The following sites enable you to search for Creative Commons’ material:

Creative Commons Search

Creative Commons Search provides you with eight options to search for creative items: Google (Web), Google (Image), Yahoo (Web), Flickr (Image), Blip.TV (Video), jamendo (Music), WikiMedia Commons (Media) and SpinXpress (Media).

This search feature is a great time-saver, as you can type in one search term in the bar and then search all eight sites at once, making for easy and fast searches of multiple sites for specific terms.

Flickr Creative Commons

Use Flickr Creative Commons to search for publicly available images by following these steps: Type a query into the search bar and hit “Search;" Click on “Advanced Search;” Select “Only search within Creative Commons material” at the bottom of the screen, as well as “Find content to use commercially” and/or “Find content to modify, adapt, or build upon,” if applicable.

Google Image Search

Google’s Image Search allows you to search for images within Creative Commons by using its advanced search feature. Once on this page, use the Usage Rights drop-down menu to select one of the following (depending on your needs): labeled for reuse, labeled for commercial reuse, labeled for reuse with modification or labeled for commercial reuse with modification.

Image Attribution

Once an image is found, be sure to review its attribution requirements. Creative Commons Copyrights will have a copyright icon and a link along the right side of the image.

The link will then take you to a Web page that says how that creative can be used and under what conditions (i.e. not for commercial use, can’t be remixed).  For example, check out the usage page for the image in this blog post.

The image will likely require attribution. To do this, include a photo credit that links to the creator’s page or Website (see the bottom of this post for an example), and then link the photo itself to the creator’s page or Website.

Purchasing Photos

If you can’t find the perfect image through Creative Commons, or you're looking for a hassle-free solution, consider purchasing royalty-free images. One affordable way to do this is through iStockPhotos. Images suitable for blog posts can cost as little as $0.95-$1.90 each.

Note: If purchasing from iStockPhotos, the extra small photos are typically ideal for blog post images.

Spice Up Your Blog Posts with Images

Using the tips above, you can use other people's images to enhance the visual appeal of your blog posts without worrying about copyright infringement. Just, be sure to only use pictures approved for reuse and to provide proper attribution. When in doubt, ask the owner of the image.

Or, for you adventurous souls out there, there's always the option of taking your own photos.

Tracy DiMarino is an associate consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyDiMarino.

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Photo Credit: AllyAubry