Photo by Sergio Molina on Unsplash
Blog pics draw traffic, improve retention, and improve SEO. They can also get you into trouble, though. Using copyrighted articles, for instance, is a good way to land in hot water. Even if the image’s owner doesn’t pursue legal reparations, it’s pretty easy for them to turn your readership against you. Choosing poor-quality or unconnected images also convinces many readers that you aren’t a professional before they even begin to read. To find the best blog pics, you need to know what you’re looking for, and you need to know where it’s safe to look.
Choosing Subject and Imagery
Blog pics should set the tone, especially since readers usually see the image before the text. The easiest way to find a great image is to find one that directly reflects your topic. The problem is that not all blogs have tangible subjects. Articles about questions, interviews, or general subjects don’t provide a clear topic to link to an image. These cases take a bit more thought, but it’s still pretty easy to find the perfect image if you know what you’re looking for.
The first technique is to simply search with one or more of your keywords. This will pull up images other people have directly linked to your topic. Artists and graphic designers use keywords just as readily as bloggers, and they want you to use their images.
Another good technique is to picture the reader. Will the reader be thinking? Look for someone in a thoughtful pose. Is the reader a business person looking to close a deal or improve collaboration? Find images of business people shaking hands. Can you safely assume the reader is working in an office, a garden, a restaurant, etc.? By pairing location, profession, or activity with a particular mood or feeling, you can search for just about anything.
Where to Look for Blog Pics
Performing a basic Google search is a bad idea. Google will bring you results from essentially every corner of the internet. Simply typing “royalty free” or “public domain” in the search bar won’t necessarily give you the public domain images you want. However, Google does have filters that allow you to search with confidence. So do many other search and database websites. The best way to access them all at once is to use CreativeCommons.org. This website allows you to tailor your search by media type, location, and use. It’s much easier than going to different websites individually. Still, there’s nothing wrong with having favorite free image sources. Pixabay, for instance, is one of the best, and you’ll typically see a lot of images from Pixabay in a search for free images.
The right blog pics can transform your content. They improve the reader experience exponentially, and they’re surprisingly easy to find. Just remember to plan what kind of photo you want before you begin your hunt. Otherwise you’ll be bogged down by options very quickly. Hunt for photos through organizations like CreativeCommons.com to avoid problems down the road.