Everything You Need To Know About Using Online Images For Your Website

Published August 8, 2023

A great marketer knows how visual elements are critical to any marketing campaign. You need the best-looking website to make your mark on the web. The best-looking website calls for having the finest images. 

The online images you use can bring attention. They can get you more clicks and sales than any written ads can. This is because consumers are visual learners. The information laid in the kinds of photos as well as videos is more likely to be retained longer. It also improves the overall user experience of the website. Moreover, it helps stimulate their instinctual desire to engage with your product offering. 

Can I Use Images From Google on My Website?

For some people, obtaining the best online images seems simple. They would just go to Google, search for whatever images they like, download it, and upload it to their site. Quick and easy, or so they thought. Can you use pictures from the internet without permission? 

The simple answer is you can. But you should not. Using online images from Google for your website will do you more harm. It’s more trouble than it’s worth. Doing so will get you hefty fines and jail time, in some cases, both. This is due to all online images almost always being subject to copyrights.

What Is Copyright?

Copyright pertains to the legal right of the owner of intellectual property. It is the right to copy. This means that the original creator of products, alongside individuals they give authorization to, are the ones with the exclusive right to reproduce the work. 

It is also a collection of rights. Rights automatically granted to someone who crafts an original work of authorship. Such as a literary project, music, film, or software. These rights contain the liberty to reproduce the work and prepare derivative works. They also cover the privilege to distribute copies, and perform. Also, to display the work publicly. 

In short, the original owner of the online images has the ultimate say on who will use the photos. They will tell where and when it can be used. If you do not have permission from the owner to use those photos, they can sue. Lawsuits are never a good thing for your business.

How To Tell if an Image Is Copyrighted?

Most online images you see on Google’s search results are copyrighted. However, some sites permit people to use their photos. Sites must be given credits the right way. You will have to search for the image’s license to tell them apart. 

Online images that are free to use or use with attribution and restrictions are under the Creative Commons License. It’s also possible to apply them on your website if the copyright images fall within the Fair Use Policy. 

How Can I Use a Copyrighted Image for My Website?

It is not impossible to apply a copyrighted photo on your website. All you have to do is connect with the original creator. Ask for their permission. The copyright owner may give free use of the image; others might charge a fee. In some cases, they may set special restrictions. 

Obtaining the copyright holder’s information on the internet is easy. If you find the picture on a webpage, message the site owner for details regarding the photos. 

Another option is to look for an image via Google search. Then see its accompanying information. Accompanying details are seen on the right-hand side of the screen. Here, you will most likely know the website on which the online image is hosted. The credits are usually attached. Afterward, check the website for more information about ownership or proper sourcing. 

If you can’t find the copyright holder details, give up. Do not, at all, mean apply the online image on your website. To remain safeguarded from the law, you must have the proper permission to upload someone else’s work to your site.

Safe Picks for Using Images Online

1. Public domain 

Any type of law does not safeguard images that fall under the public domain. These images have either expired copyrights or were never copyrighted at first. It also applies to the works of authors who passed away more than 70 years ago. 

There are specific creators whose work is also automatically inscribed into the public domain. In the US, all work crafted by the government is part of the public domain property. For instance, the general public can reuse images of the official White House. They can also freely use photos submitted by NASA. 

In simpler words, the public owns the images. Authors have given up their work to the public. They no longer claim rights over what they have done. These images are free and can be used for commercial and personal projects. Public domain photos can also be copied, manipulated, and distributed. You can opt to display them in any way you want. 

The only obstacle in opting for these images is the rules that vary from country to country. It would be best to rule out the regulations in your geographical location. All before proceeding with a public domain property.

2. Creative Commons 

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization. It permits photographers and artists to share their craft for reuse. However, the creators can control the conditions over how their works will be used. It is through the different types of licenses. Here are some of the following: 

• CC BY – Attribution. Under this license, you have the privilege to redistribute and modify. You can also build upon the original work as long as you give proper authorization of the author. The CC BY license entitles individuals to use the artist’s work for both personal and commercial undertakings. 
• CC BY-SA- Attribution, Share-Alike. As with the attribution license, you can use, edit and adapt these images. You must give proper acknowledgment. The only change is that you license the new creations under identical terms. Identical terms entail that any new work that utilizes the original photograph must be backed. Backed by the same Creative Commons license. 
• CC BY-ND- Attribution, No Derivs- This kind of license qualifies redistribution of the work in both commercial and non-commercial settings. However, one is not permitted to modify the photo in any way. You can’t use it as a whole when unchanged too. Finally, credit to the original owner is require
  

3. Fair Use

Another place to get online images without seeking clearance from the copyright holder is the fair use collection. Under the U.S laws, fair use applies to photographs used in specific settings. Such as education, investigation, scholarship, news reporting, and satire. 

Fair Use has four main criteria that rule out whether the image is fair. 

1. The purpose and character of the use. This determines if the image is used for a non-profit or commercial project. 
2. The nature of the work to be used. The law renders more freedom to factual pieces, as opposed to fictional work. 
3. The amount of the photos used. The laws generally allow the usage of a small piece of the picture or its low-resolution version. 
4. The market effect. Using photographs that do not lessen the market value of the images. 

8 Best Practices for Legally Using Online Images for Your Website

1. Make your online images

You do not have to spend money on a professional photographer. You also don’t need a graphic designer to generate outstanding images for your site. You can take your own pictures. Many online and offline photo editing tools can help you take your shots to another level. All you must have is a healthy amount of creativity and determination. 

If you plan to utilize screenshots, know that copyright laws also cover some types. They typically differ from website to website. For instance, Google has a distinctive guideline. It showcases what screenshots of their search results you’re free to use. 

But in general, posting unaltered screenshots that do not jeopardize a product. As well as, another site’s reputation is considered fair use.

2. Use Stock photos 

Stock photos are images, vectors, and illustrations that are readily accessible. Every niche imaginable has them. You can download them for free or acquire them from a reputable website. Remember that some online images from free photo websites may not be safe. It is the case, especially for commercial use. 

The most valuable advantage of stock photos is their convenience. They save a lot of time and effort that goes into the creation of new images. The photographers of stock photos are pros, so images are of high quality. You can also edit, crop, and add overlays to the images. This is great for adhering to your branding strategy. 

Knowing you do not have ownership of the stock photos is critical. The creator still owns the images. You must adhere to the license agreement that comes with using a specific stock image. 

There are four most common licenses for stock photographs. These are Royalty-Free, Rights Managed, Extended Use, and Editorial Use. 

3. Buy Stock images 

You can also buy Stock photographs. Stock photo trading websites are booming on the internet. You have to look for a keyword on Google and be laid with hundreds of stock photos. You will spend money here, but it will offer you more flexibility.

4. Utilize Wikimedia Images 

Wikimedia is a non-profit organization that owns and manages sites like Wikipedia. It offers online images with Creative Commons License. This entails you can use the photos on your site as long as you put an attribution to the proper owner. 

5. Royalty-free Images 

Sites such as Pixabay, Unsplash, and Pexels give away a collection of royalty-free photographs. It means you can use images without having to purchase them. The photos also hold no license restrictions. One is free to crop, edit, or combine these images. They are also available to use in a video.

6. Search Flickr’s Free Image Library 

Flickr is a photo management and sharing platform. But unlike traditional stock photo websites, this one is not always professionally done. It’s a photo-sharing site. So anyone, from expert photographers to ordinary people taking photos of whatever medium they want, can share their works. 

7. Ask permission from the owner 

If all else doesn’t suit you, and there is a photo that you really like, ask for permission. Some photographers are more than willing to lend you their online images. Remember to give them proper credit. 

8. Avoid Using GIFs 

GIFs are all around the internet. Everyone uses it, but it doesn’t mean their use is legal. If you use a GIF, you can also face a cease and desist order. It’s not worth it.