Have you ever looked for images that you need for a new blog post on your business website? Generally, you may start by searching on Google under the images category. Although, you may find some great images to use, you may end up using images that are licensed by a different business or organization. If you end up using the image, then you may run into complications with copyright law.
Although it would be nice to be able to use any image that you like on your business website, there are rules and limitations to what you can use. Now you maybe asking, “where can I find an image for my business website or blog post?” This is where stock image websites can be helpful.
What is a stock image website?
A stock image website generally has a large depository of images that you can search for using keyword terms and that you can then buy a license in order to use them. After searching, you can refine your search by selecting certain categories or using filters. Major stock image sites have hundreds of thousands of photos to choose from.
After you have selected an image that you like, you can either pay a one-time fee for that particular image or you can choose to buy a set of images for a fixed fee. Different stock image websites have different pricing tiers and image licensing rules regarding how you can use an image.
Stock Image Websites That We Recommend
ShutterStock
Shutterstock is a very popular stock image website and was started in 2003. It now has a library of over 125 million images and has new images added every week. In addition to stock images, Shutterstock also sells licensed music and image clips. With such a large depository of images to choose from, you should not have a problem finding an image to use.
DepositPhotos
DepositPhotos started in January 2009 and reached 1 million images by March, the platform and been growing ever since. Currently, they have over 50 million images to choose from and also feature video imagery.
PhotoDune
PhotoDune is an image market place that is part of the Envato Market. Photodune only sell imagery and does not have as many images listed as Depositphotos and Shutterstock but you can buy individual licenses for images more easily. Therefore PhotoDune is a great stock image site to use if you are looking to buy only a few images.
