Sourcing images for website content is often an afterthought – we’re invariably focused on making sure we nail those keywords and tick those SEO boxes. But images are in fact an essential part of your content marketing strategy – from increasing conversion rates to adding trust to your brand, or even enhancing SEO.
A picture speaks a thousand words, so sharpen up your content with our guide to the best stock photo websites.
Contents:
- Best paid-for stock images
- Best stock images on a budget
- Best free stock images
- Why do I need great images?
Best stock photo websites with a marketing budget
If you’ve got the budget to spend on a few stock photo credits, these sites will give your content that professional polish.
Stock.adobe
Stock.adobe offers a comprehensive selection of photos, illustrations, vectors, video and even audio. There is a small section with free images, too – but make sure you check the licence rights. Some, for example, are for editorial use only. That means they cannot be used in promotional materials. Free 1-month trials are available, and you can purchase credits from 5 to 150, ranging from £29.95 to £600.00 plus VAT per month.
Istock
Istock offers a smaller pool of content, focusing solely on illustrations, photos and videos, but it does have some very flexible pricing. For example, you can tailor your package to have ‘all-access’ for up to 750 images per month. Prices range from £45 per month to £259 per month.
Find images for website on a limited budget
If yours is a limited budget or client-dependent, you may benefit from a free tool with upgrade options to access even more content.
Canva
Great for those with a vision, but without graphic design training, Canva offers the chance to create your own illustrations with a simple user interface. Its free package offers a huge choice of templates, perfect for social media posts, documents, posters, and of course, images for website use.
You can upgrade your free package to get access to a bigger range of design tools and a large database of images. Monthly pricing starts at $9.95 (about £7.65) per month, and a free trial is available.
Where to find free images for your website
If you’re just starting out and want that professional finish, you can find great free images on these stock photo websites.
Unsplash
Unsplash has a database of 2 million photos, uploaded by budding photographers all around the world. Simply type your keyword into the search bar, choose your resolution and go. Usage rights are pretty much unlimited, but the site does encourage crediting the author if you wish.
Pexels
Like Unsplash, Pexels allows you to download, manipulate and use images for commercial purposes, all completely free of charge. Be mindful that these free websites may not have as large a database as paid sites, and other people may have used them before. It’s up to you to get creative – you may even be able to determine how popular an image is by looking at its ‘likes’.
Why do I need great images for my website?
Images are crucial for any professional looking website presence, but they can really make or break sites in certain industries. For example, if you’re an ecommerce retailer, you’ll need professional photographs of your products.
Similarly, if you’re a law firm with a large team, for example, you’ll want corporate photos to help reinforce trust with your brand. Both of these are only truly achievable with a great photographer, so you should consider this as part of your long-term content marketing plan.
Remember – a good website is only as good as its content, so make the most of these image selection options available to you.
For more tips on how much you should budget for your content marketing, read our content budgeting guide.
