Not all bloggers use images with their blog posts, or even in their website! So, it might be possible to build a huge readership without a single photo on your site.
But, there are several reasons why right kinds of images make the reader experience a lot better compared to a blog that consists only of plain text.
Beautiful images not only make your blog look more intriguing but also:
1. Grab the attention. Whenever someone visits your site, the first things he or she will look at are the images. If your images are stunning, the first impression will be very good.
2. Make reading easier. When you use images in right places, you give the reader an opportunity to have a little rest between large chunks of text.
3. Share a meaning. A picture is worth a thousand words, so never underestimate how well you can communicate with your readers through images.
4. Promote SEO. Google and other search engines look at the file names as well as the alt and description attributes, so using them correctly will help you to get more traffic.
How to choose images for your posts
Sometimes it is quite difficult to know how to choose the right images of millions of photos available online.
I always try to find visually beautiful photos that still are somehow connected to the topic of the blog post, but sometimes it is useful to use a photo that has nothing to do with the topic but is still intriguing and makes the visitor want to read the whole post.
One thing I think everyone should avoid is to pick photos that look amateurish or ugly. They are part of your site, so if the visitor sees low-quality, amateurish photos all over your blog, that’s the impression of your whole website, so try to pick only images that enhance the user experience – not images that make your blog look worse.
Often a visually intriguing image has nice colors, good contrast, or great composition to make it appealing for the human eye. One good way of finding the kind of image that will make your readers happy is to go through a lot of images and when a certain image grabs your attention completely, you have probably found a potential image for your blog post.
Where to find free images
Google image search is probably something that comes to mind first, when you think about finding images for your blog, but because of the possible copyright issues, it is better to use images that you know are free for everyone to use.
My favorite way of finding images is to use Flickr with the Creative Commons advanced search feature. Creative Commons images can be used royalty free just by attributing them to the author, and you can do that easily by putting a photo credit –link to the end of your post or under the image.
Here is a list of sites for finding free images:
1. Creative Commons search in Flickr
Like I said, this is my favorite way of finding stunning free images. Try it if you haven’t already. Usually clicking “most interesting” –link in the search results gives you the best looking photos.
Sxc.hu is another really good site for finding free images, but the problem with it is that there is only quite a limited amount of really good looking photos. But it’s still a very good site that you should check out. If I wouldn’t be able to use Flickr, stock.xchange would be my choice.
This is a site I just stumbled onto. It’s a search engine for free photos that come from different sources. It seems to be quite good, even though I haven’t tested it thoroughly yet.
4. PicApp
This site has mostly images of celebrities, sports, and travel. I must say that I am not a big fan of this site, because the image quality on average is not very high.
5. FreeFoto
FreeFoto is even a little bit worse than PicApp – not that many images and the quality is a letdown. I would use this only if there were no alternatives, but maybe you can find a good image from this site as well if you are lucky.
Information about different Creative Commons -licenses
When you first start to look for images, different licenses can quite easily overwhelm you. At least for me the whole Creative Commons –system was unclear.
Here’s basic information about different types of CC –licenses:
- Attribution License
Attribution license means that you can use the image as you wish, both commercially and non-commercially, and also modify the image, as long as you credit the author by linking back to their profile.
- Attribution-NoDerivs License
Attribution-NoDerivs license is basically the same than Attribution license, but you are not allowed to modify the image in any way.
- Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License
This license is the same as Attribution-NoDerivs license, but you cannot use images with this license commercially.
The line between commercial and non-commercial is not always clear, but usually it can be argued that your blog is commercial if you have ads, products or online store there, so if you want to be on the safe side, it is probably better to use images with more flexible licenses, such as the two above.
- Attribution-NonCommercial License
You can display and modify images with this license in a non-commercial space with a link to the author’s profile.
- Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License
You can use photos with this license in non-commercial spaces with credit, but there is one extra requirement: You must link to the license page (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en) alongside a link to the author’s profile.
- Attribution-ShareAlike License
Photos with this license you can modify and use in any context as long as you link to the author’s profile and the distribution license for the photo (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en).
Conclusion
Spending too much time thinking about different licenses is not wise, so I suggest you only use the search for images with Attribution license. There are at the moment over 20.3 million photos in Flickr with that license that allows you to use the photo quite freely, so there’s no reason to make your life any harder.
Pick only the best photos that make your blog look intriguing and professional, and it will be a lot easier for you to find satisfied long-term readers.
PS. The photo of Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia is taken by me, so no attribution needed here. 
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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
(15 comments) August 16, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Thanks for the sharing the free image link, I like to add image to all my post and I use to get them from google image and flickr
(2 comments) August 6, 2010 at 10:16 am
I generally use Flickr or see what is on Wikipedia then add a “Photo by ….” at the end of the article. Flickr really is a great way to find good photos, there are so many people out there photographing evens with good quality cameras now and then sharing their pics online that you can usually find something suitable for a blog. Plus attributing the photos give the photographer some credit which helps them out too.
Jon @ Lose Belly Fat´s last blog ..The New Rules on Losing Belly Fat
(5 comments) July 29, 2010 at 10:10 pm
This is a tremendous resource. For those of us who are creating websites, good images can be scarce. When you want to customize your Wordpress blog, you need a few good images to liven things up. Thank you for the tips.
Dr. Skigh´s last blog ..WP Design- Before and After Screenshots
(3 comments) July 21, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Photos definitely attract attention, but finding a photo with a clear message relevant to the content of your blog entry may be quite difficult. Using nice clipart may be a solution, though. Being a designer, I usually just draw the images to illustrate my blog posts, but sometimes also use free graphics – there’s plenty of them on the Web and artists in many cases clearly indicate under which license they publish their works.
Dennis´s last blog ..3 Tips On How To Use Large Icons
(1 comments) July 21, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I have recently begun to add at least one image to all my posts, initially for SEO purposes, but also to add to the reader experience. I know that I personally like a blog post or article more when it has images in them.
I have often struggled to find royalty free or totally free images that are quality and your list is a welcome find. Thanks!
Tom Dewell´s last blog ..Small Businesses Using Credit Cards to Hire
(1 comments) July 20, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Great post. Thanks for the information about the photo websites. At least now i would not focus on flickr alone. Thanks for the list. We really need this. Really a great to know information. You have a good one
(3 comments) July 19, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Thank you for including such a great list of attainable free pictures. I have come across this quite often and am always afraid of the copyright laws so I never really put pictures in my blog. I rely on my own “bad” picture taking.
(312 comments) July 18, 2010 at 3:44 am
Nice list. I just wanted to add to the number of sites where you can find pictures. You can also add Wikimedia commons to it. I think you can use all their pictures under the attribution license.
(13 comments) July 17, 2010 at 12:07 am
Thanks for putting that list out. I could never tell which ones were truly free for images and which ones weren’t. I didn’t want to get in trouble for copyright infringement.
Gina´s last blog ..Simple Blogging Tip: Target New
(8 comments) July 16, 2010 at 7:06 pm
I have been using Flickr to find best images and till now I never looked into any other services..
More over I use my DSLR camera to click few images which I technically use on my blog and somehow I find it better..as because of this I get lots of backlinks
Harsh Agrawal @Wordpress SEO´s last blog ..Retweet and Comment to Win Complete ThemeJunkie Wordpress Premium Theme Package
(2694 comments) July 18, 2010 at 1:02 am
It would be a nice idea, especially if there is a rich areas near to where you live or a good environment for taking photos! I think there is no better way than publishing your own photos if you can!
(27 comments) July 16, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Something I never did until recently was add SEO attributes to my images, it was only when i discovered I was getting traffic from people discovering my images in google images searches that I focused more on it
Robert @ Techinfo-4u.com´s last blog ..Motorola ES400 EDA Review
(2694 comments) July 16, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Petteri, I would like to thank you so much for the awesome article, you have just solved so many problems and probably also some of the expected (future problems) for me by providing such nice finding images guide!!
Thank you tons, this is so much appreciated work!
I’m glad I could help you and other people with the article!
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to write, it was my pleasure.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(112 comments) July 16, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Very nice summary Petteri. Curious, when you say, “Creative Commons images can be used royalty free just by attributing them to the author…”, but select the “Find content to modify, adapt, or build upon” box (I guess you will need to go to Flickr to see what I’m referring too), does attribution need to be made? I’ve heard not, but curious what your thoughts are. Normally, we would give attribution anyway, but sometimes the publisher has other images I do not want my visitors to see.
Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..Funny Faces, Cool Dads
Thanks Colleen.
As far as I know, the “find content to modify, adapt, or build upon” box refers to Attribution License (The first one in my list), and that means that even though you can modify the images, you still have to attribute to the author.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(112 comments) July 16, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Thanks Petteri, I figured as much but thought I would ask.
Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..Funny Faces, Cool Dads
(49 comments) July 16, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I used to have problems finding completely free images that i can use for my blog. But i have bookmarked this page and i will find now, where to get free images.
Thanks for the great lists!
Kimi´s last blog ..Get your blog indexed by Bing
You’re welcome Kimi, glad if I could help!
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(21 comments) July 16, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Excellent advice Petterri. Thanks for sharing the licensing breakdown; it can be confusing to a newbie.
My blog readership increased when I began using images from creative commons. I resisted because I felt that it was only important to provide text-based content but as you said a picture is worth a thousand words. People are emotional creatures and respond to an image like nothing else.
Ryan Biddulph
Ryan Biddulph´s last blog ..These 3 Network Marketing Tactics Stink
Yeah, the licensing was not clear to me either until recently when I wanted to find out how it works, but it’s good to choose the images so that you are in safe waters. Nice images make it much easier to read longer posts, just like good use of headings.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(10 comments) July 16, 2010 at 8:55 am
Yep… Images/ unique images are now standing out like unique contents these days. They are very important for blogs especially when they are eye catching images.
I always love to see the images here at FamousBloggers.net, they look so cool
Kharim @ WebMaster-Success.com´s last blog ..3 Important Meta Tags For A Successful Site
True, they can be like an oasis in the desert.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(2 comments) July 16, 2010 at 8:52 am
I think great high quality images add greater depth and appeal to your blog. As for people arguing against them for SEO reason you can optimize your images. Getting listed in image search engine results can drive significant traffic to your site. The explanation of the creative commons is great as well as the image gallery links….thnxs!
Thomas@Magento Developers´s last blog ..How to Write Product Descriptions in Magento
The SEO optimizing with images is not completely clear for me yet. What more can you do in addition to putting good ALT tags and right kind of filename?
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
I also try to find royalty-free images. This is such a site:
http://www.sxc.hu/
Yes, that was actually on my list as well, with a name Stock.xchng. Sxc.hu is the address… it’s really difficult to remember by the way, I don’t know why though.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(13 comments) July 16, 2010 at 4:35 am
I always looked for images more from a SEO purpose rather than searching for “stunning images”. But worth a look on those links, thanks.
(3 comments) July 16, 2010 at 2:28 am
Nice images help. I prefer see photo than long texts.
Jayce´s last blog ..Top 10 Sprint HTC EVO 4G Tweaks and Hacks
(53 comments) July 16, 2010 at 1:41 am
First I have to thank you for the list of website to get free stunning images, and second thanks for the list of license that you wrote. I have been finding images for my blog for quite some time and finally got it here.
Stunning images really can trigger people to look but not to read, but agin it is still better then no image, well… I will have to go take a tour to see if any images suit my blog post.
The Bad Blogger´s last blog ..The Most Difficult Decision The Bad Blogger Has To Make ! (I Need Your Advice)
Maybe it’s good to find the right balance. Not too many images, but a good image here and there can make the blog post or whole site look more intriguing and appealing.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(7 comments) July 16, 2010 at 12:25 am
Thanks for this helpful post.
I thought that images on Google image search are free and always use them without considering. That’s great if we can find out which images are free on Google.
Tek3D´s last blog ..Simple Ways to Prevent WordPress Blog Hacking
(15 comments) July 15, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Do you know if there is any way to search google for creative commons photos?
I need to start using flickr more.
Kevin M.´s last blog ..Why I chose to monetize my blog
No, unfortunately I don’t know about that. It would be amazing feature though! Maybe we have to inform the boys at Google about our needs.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(1 comments) July 15, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Yep and I’m now Flickring too Petteri, after realizing that Google Images were not necessarily non-copyright, ouch!
I find that the available images on Flickr creative commons (even though you quote a vast figure) is not nearly as engaging as is Google Images, however, you made a super point – simply use an image that really stands out, regardless its not exactly related to your blog post. Yes, I love that idea!
Thanks for the excellent post – retweet coming your way Petteri!
Joseph@SEO tips´s last blog ..A SERIOUSLY COOL Tool for Wannabe BACKLINKING ‘Cheats’
Thanks Joseph!
It is true that it is easier to find great images if you don’t care about the licensing, but when you search for the “most interesting” photos in Flickr with Creative Commons license, you can still find great photos if you are just open minded with the tags you search for.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(12 comments) July 15, 2010 at 9:40 pm
I love using images! It makes a big difference in my theme; and I know some themes are even coded to use images, since they are so valuable.
I feel like my posts are naked without them. Sometimes I use video in their place, but still, it’s the “accessory” that puts everything together.
Thanks for the additional places. I find most of mine at Flickr or wikimedia.
Tia@Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Are Your Comments Bringing in Traffic- or Not
Yeah, I just looked at some of my old posts that didn’t have any images with them and somehow they looked very dull and naked. I have to try Wikimedia as well, thanks for the tip Tia!
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(232 comments) July 15, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Great write up. I did a Creative Commons write a few months back. There is so much information about the way the licenses work.
I agree with on the first two. I try and only use two license options and I make sure to link back to the source. There are so many people out there that think just because a site like those premium image sites offer a free small image preview download that they are free and they can use them. They are so wrong, they are only free for mock ups if they want to use it anywhere else they have to purchase a license.
Thats why I always read the fine print on those sites and read the creators profile to make sure I can use it on my site. Also in some cases it might be a good idea to email the owner and ask for permission or at least let them know by commenting to their profile that you used their image and where they can find your work.
element321´s last blog ..30+ Images of Old and Rusty Cars
Yeah, that’s a good way to do it. By informing the owner that you have used his or her image, you are being fair and at least giving the opportunity to let you know if it’s not okay to use it.
(232 comments) July 16, 2010 at 2:09 pm
I for got to mention. It might also be a good idea to document your conversations with the owner(s) and keep any emails or print screens of the conversation, just in case in the future, the owner says you never had that conversations and tries to pull a fast one over on you… This also includes any sale documents or licenses from premium sites. I have heard stores of website owners being fined for using their images and suing for damages years after purchasing the images. If this happens you need all the proof you can to fight the charges…
element321´s last blog ..External Comment Systems May Not Be the Best Option for a Blog Owner
(1 comments) July 15, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Petteri, I have been looking for great free pics for my blog. These links are very handy. Also you CC license explanation helps me a lot!
Kent Chow @ in Marketing Tips´s last blog ..How to Start a Blog like a Pro
(2 comments) July 15, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Great post not only for blogs but presentations and reports as well. Personally on my blogs I usually insert a Dilbert cartoon (huge fan), if I can’t find a comic strip that matches then I look into adding an image. I always add images in my presentations.
Jay Philips´s last blog ..Find Out How Influential/Popular You Are
(18 comments) July 15, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Excellent information Petteri, specially the details about all the CC license. I knew nothing about so many attributes.
And thanks for sharing the list of sites. Hearing about EasyStockPgoto, PicApp and FreeFoto for the first time, but it seems that you are not much impressed by the last two.
Sourav @ Tech N Blogging´s last blog ..25 Mistakes New Bloggers Need To Avoid
Nice to hear that the article was helpful, Sourav!
Yes, I actually use mostly Flickr nowadays because in my opinion it’s the best option. Another thing I like to do in some of my blogs is to create own images with Photoshop by taking screenshots and then editing the image by adding text, vignetting and lots of different effects that make it look better than just an average screenshot.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(70 comments) July 15, 2010 at 8:37 pm
This is a very nice and useful articles. I often use images on my posts for presentation enhancement and to help convey the meaning of my article as well. your guidelines is a big help to me since I’m having difficulties finding good quality pictures which I could use without copyright violations.
Thanks and more power to you Petteri!
Julius´s last blog ..Making the Blogging Community A Better Place
(108 comments) July 15, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Really glad that you not only shared these sites but talked about attribution.
I know bloggers would raise hell if their work was ripped so not linking back to the original image follows this same line. Help promote the great images you use on your own site – always link back!
Murlu´s last blog ..Creating A Cult Following Behind Your Brand
That’s true. One should always think about how you would personally feel if someone used your work without permission. I don’t think that way though, I have taken some photographs that are on Twitter as well as on my website, and I only enjoy if someone can use them for their own good. I hope for a link back to my site though.
Petteri Ollila´s last blog ..Would You Like to Have a Life without Failures
(5 comments) July 15, 2010 at 7:19 pm
I haven’t used any of these so I really appreciate the links and info on different types of licenses.
Sandra Lee´s last blog ..Exploring vulnerabilities
(1 comments) July 15, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Thanks heaps. I’ve only just discovered Flickr as a source for free images so this information is very timely. You’ve made the whole license issue a lot clearer – I was a bit confused about all that.
Also, I totally agree that images enhance the user experience. It is definitely worth taking the time to create or source the best you can.
The Klutzy Cook @ Family Cooking´s last blog ..A Versatile Pesto Sauce Recipe
(23 comments) July 15, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Thanks for the information! It’s difficult for me to post without an image inside. Images grab attention and perk articles up.
I didn’t know picapp and freephoto, good sharing
Other interesting site is morguefile.
Cheers,
Gera
Gera @ Sweets Foods Blog´s last blog ..7 Useful Free Software Applications for Bloggers and Internet Surfers
Hey Petteri,
Nice Post. My favorite way to find images is flickr.
And picapp and freephoto are new to me. Going to checkout.
Thanks for sharing. Really awesome work.
~Dev
Dev @ Technshare´s last blog ..6 Top Benefits Of Press Release And How It Can Improve Your Internet Business
(26 comments) July 15, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Killer list-up dude, thanks for this. Will be useful from next time
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