13 Places to Find Free Images for Your Affiliate Marketing Blog
Using images from the web for your affiliate marketing blog is a great way to grab attention and make your content more engaging. But for many content creators, figuring out where to find these free images can be quite a task.
Should you risk using images from Google and potentially run into copyright issues? Or are there better alternatives out there for sourcing free-to-use photos? The good news is there are numerous websites where you can find high-quality stock photos without any cost.
However, searching for these free images can be time-consuming. So, we’ve compiled a list of reliable sites you can turn to whenever you need to add visuals to your affiliate marketing blog. But before we dive into that, let’s discuss why incorporating images into your blog posts is so important.
Why You Need Free Images for Your Blog
Did you know that the average attention span is now 8 seconds? Your attention span is now worse than that of a goldfish.
Part of the reason for this decline in attention is information overload. So much content is created every day. Furthermore, anyone with a smartphone or a computer can create and share content daily.
Imagine reading through paragraphs and paragraphs of nothing but text in the middle of all the distractions pictured above. It’s not easy, even for the most focused person.
So, how do you break through this noise and capture and retain your audience’s information? First, you need to write about something your audience cares about. Second, you need to create quality affiliate marketing content.
A big part of quality content is visual content. Visual content gives your readers a break from what would otherwise be masses of text, and it makes your blog post more fun to read.
Using free images for your blog will retain your readers’ attention and help them recall the lessons in your content.
Ultimately, suppose a reader can recall your affiliate marketing content quickly. In that case, you will remain at the top of their minds as a trusted authority and a worthwhile solution to their problems.
Now that you know why visual content in your blog posts is so important, let’s discuss where to find these images without spending money.
Where to Find Free Images for Your Blog
Luckily, there are many places to find free images for your blog. We’ve compiled a list of 13 ways you can get these images.
Licensing of Free Images
Most of the images in the sources listed below are free from copyright or licensed under Creative Commons. This means you can copy, modify, and distribute the photos—even for business purposes—without asking the owners for permission.
Even though most of these fall under the Creative Commons, we have done our best to highlight where attribution is required. It also wouldn’t hurt to double-check when you download your images. Remember that images marked CC0 can be used worldwide without restrictions if you’re especially worried about attracting legal fines.
13 Places to Find Free Images for Your Blog
1) Pexels
We love Pexels because you can search for quality photos and videos in different categories.
When you download an image from Pexels, attribution is not required but is appreciated. Moreover, you can use the content you get from Pexels for business purposes, as long as you don’t portray any identifiable people negatively. However, if you’re selling the photo, then you must edit it first. Finally, Pexels doesn’t allow you to share or sell their images on other stock photos or wallpaper sites.
2) Unsplash
When we can’t find something on Pexels, our next stop is usually Unsplash. This site has various categories and is a great place to look for free images for your affiliate marketing blog.
As with Pexels, permission isn’t required, but attribution is appreciated. Similarly, you cannot resell or redistribute Unsplash images unless you’ve made significant edits.
3) Canva
We at Kontely are huge fans of Canva. While its primary purpose is to help you design your visuals, a free account also gives you access to stock images and videos.
Since Canva offers multiple design templates, this deal is even sweeter because you can incorporate images into any organic design. For example, you can use their pictures in a social media post or flyer for your brand. How awesome is that?
When you use images from Canva, you don’t need to get permission or attribute anyone. You can freely use these images on your blog, affiliate marketing website, and any marketing material. However, you can’t resell or redistribute their photos on other sites.
4) Freepik
Freepik is heaven for designers, boasting free vectors, stock photos, PSD files, and presentation templates. For this reason, it works well as a one-stop shop for free images for your affiliate marketing blog. While a premium version exists, you can still access many resources on a free account.
As with the three previous sites, you don’t need to ask for permission or attribute your images from Freepik. On the other hand, you can’t sell or redistribute these images.
5) StockSnap.io
StockSnap offers a vast collection of high-resolution images in different categories. You can browse their collections at random or enter a specific search term.
The Creative Commons (CC0) license governs the photos on this site. In other words, as before, they are free to download, edit and use. StockSnap encourages you to attribute the images you download to their owners. At the same time, it’s not illegal to use the photos without attribution.
6) Reshot
Reshot is the perfect place to go if you’re looking for non-stocky, stock-free photos. Here, you can get free images for your affiliate marketing blog, and most of their images are unique.
The photos you download from Reshot can be used in both non-commercial and commercial projects. As with the previous sites, attribution is appreciated but not required.
7) Foodiesfeed
As the title suggests, this site is for you if you are a content creator and a foodie. Foodiesfeed will provide plenty of free images for your food, cooking, or dining blog.
All the images on Foodiesfeed are licensed under the CC0 license. This means you can use them for non-commercial and commercial purposes without restriction.
8) Pixabay
Since Pixabay delivers on its promise of stunning free images, it’s an excellent site for your affiliate marketing blog.
All the photos on Pixabay are in the public domain, so you can use them freely without worrying about legal issues.
9) Kaboompics
We couldn’t leave Kaboompics off our list of places to get free images for your affiliate marketing blog. It hosts a massive collection of photos to meet every need. Go ahead, check it out, and see for yourself.
All the photos on Kaboompics are licensed under the CC0 license, making this a straightforward site.
10) Flickr
Flickr is more well-known than most other sites and with good reason. This site has a vast collection of high-quality images that anyone can use.
Although we’ve added Flickr to this list of places to find free images for your blog, this site requires more attention. Flickr has copyrighted content and content covered by the CC0 license, so you must use these photos carefully.
11) New Old Stock
If you need vintage photos, New Old Stock is the perfect place for free images for your affiliate marketing blog. The site is a collection of pictures from the public archives that beautifully recapture history.
These photos are sourced from Flickr and are governed by the Flickr Commons license. While most pictures from this site can be used freely for personal and non-commercial purposes, the site administrator provides a link to each original Flickr photo where you can confirm this.
12) Google Advanced Image Search
Did you know you can use Google’s Advanced Image Search to find free images for your affiliate marketing blog under the CC0 license?
You only need to type a description of the image you’re trying to find. Once done, you can narrow the results by choosing details such as file size and image color. As you narrow your search, select the “Creative Commons licenses” option under “usage rights,” you’re all set.
13) WOCinTech
If you need diversity in the free images for your blog about tech, then this is a great site to check out. WOCinTech knows content creators have difficulty finding women of color doing anything tech-related. They aim to solve this problem by building photo albums of women of color in tech for the public.
Since the actual albums are hosted on Flickr, the photos combine copyrighted content and content governed by the CC0 license. Use these wisely.
The Value of Company Photos When You’re Looking for Free Images for Your Blog
Yes, your company photos can be a valuable source of free images for your affiliate marketing blog. They might be even more priceless than the photos you could get on any of the above sites. This is because they give your brand authenticity by displaying the real faces behind your brand name.
Ultimately, seeing photos of your team members helps your audience feel connected to your brand.
Your coworkers are the ideal models, just waiting to be photographed for free. If you’re having a brand event or just hanging around at the office, take advantage of these opportunities and build a collection of authentic photos representing your brand. While you should always ask people for permission first, you shouldn’t let these photo ops pass you by.
As you can see, there are many places you can go when you need free images for your affiliate marketing blog. The CC0 license covers most of the sites we’ve recommended. You can use the images freely if you don’t imply that the people in these photos endorse your product, portray them negatively, or use them as part of a logo. Nevertheless, it’s always important to be attentive so that you know what kind of license you’re working with.
