Content Marketing is one of the best ways to attract potential clients to your website. It gives them a reason to visit and is great fodder for building your website’s search engine optimization while populating your social feed. But writing regular blogs is just one part of content marketing. You’ll also need to find the right imagery to go along with your words.
Where to Find Free Stock Images for Your Website
On our website, we’ve previously discussed the 6 benefits of professional photography for a small business. Professional photography is still the gold standard. And, if you can afford it, it’s always a worthwhile investment. The reality is, not every business is able to hire a photographer. Therefore, stock imagery exists and it’s a perfectly fine alternative for those on a budget. Below, we list several sites that offer stock free stock imagery for use on your website.
Pexels
Pexels boasts hundreds of thousands of stock images, with new ones added each day. All photos on the site are free to be used for commercial and non-commercial use. And, while attribution isn’t required, it’s always appreciated to give credit to the photographer. Want to add your own flourish to the photo? You are free to modify the photos in any way you’d like.
Burst
Powered by the Shopify platform, Burst hosts thousands of high quality, royalty-free images shot by a global community of photographers. Users are free to amend the photos and use in any way. Like Pexels, attributing isn’t mandatory but is highly encouraged.
Pixabay
Pixabay is home to over 1.6 million royalty-free stock images and videos. It delivers an array of business-focused photos that are perfect for use on business blogs. Photos are free for use commercially and non-commercially, with users given free reign to alter the images. As with other options on this list, it isn’t necessary to provide credit, but it is appreciated where possible.
Unsplash
Supported by a community of over 100,000 contributors, Unsplash focuses on quality vs quantity in its stock photo collection. The selection of photos might not be as large as some rival sites, but photos are of a consistently high standard across a variety of different genres. They are free for use in any way, and attribution is recommended but not necessary.
Editing Your Photos
Once you’ve settled on the image you want to use, there are several cost-effective ways to edit it that don’t involve monthly subscriptions or large up-front spends.
Canva
Canva is a handy graphic editing tool that allows users to design presentations, social media graphics and much more with thousands of beautiful layout options. This free to use tool can be templated for graphics to fit on popular social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram taking the pain out of social sharing. The software is intuitive and easy to use, with thousands of graphical elements and hundreds of fonts to choose from.
GIMPshop
GIMPshop is an open source photo editing software that offers practically all the features of Photoshop with none of the cost. Users can download the program for free and begin cropping, resizing and manipulating their images. There is a learning curve with GIMPshop but it’s easy to build a basic understanding through watching instructional videos or reading online guides. It’s a convenient alternative to Photoshop for users on a budget.
Here to Help
No matter what stage of business, or what problem you face, Small Business BC offers a range of seminars and one-on-one advisory sessions to suit any business.