Royalty free images for use on websites?

[Keefy]

Slowly but surely putting the finishing touches to my website but I'm having trouble finding free images and icons to use. Googling 'Free Images' etc usually brings up sites which link to Shutterstock etc where you have to pay the copyright holder a fee to use their images. I'm planning on using my own digital photos for various plumbing services because you see the same pics on most plumber's websites and it all looks a bit fake in my opinion - because they're obvious stock photos.

I found this site (site takes an age to load if your PC is naff) which has a few useful icons but I would like to know where to find some quality free images of things like bathroom suites, basins etc until I get my own photos done.

 

[kay-jay]

Just type in Google search bar what you want an image of and at top of page click where it says images. All the results are in the public domain and free to use

 

[kay-jay]

As a side note a website is worthless without seo work. It is seo that will get your site on the front page of a Google search

 

[Keefy]

It's true that all images online are 'in the public domain' but I don't want to steal someone's copyrighted material which can often be the case without realising it.

As for SEO I've run a few succesful websites/forums in the past and am pretty good at doing my own SEO but I know where you are if I need some extra help. Cheers mate!

 

[kay-jay]

Copyright doesn't come into it pal. At the end of the day you are using images to promote sales of specific products like fernox adey vaillant whatever....they really like it

 

[kay-jay]

Basically it comes down to you promoting specific products which will boost their sales .....they certainly won't sue you for that

 

[Keefy]

Copyright doesn't come into it pal. At the end of the day you are using images to promote sales of specific products like fernox adey vaillant whatever....they really like it

I've already 'borrowed' some radiator png's from Stelrad but no one is going to know they're Stelrad rads unless I clearly state they're from Stelrad's site. I've already 'borrowed' ShowerDoc's background but it's obvious to anyone doing a Google Image check that I'd have taken it from there as they're the only ones (where) to have it in internet land.

I know there's not much chance of getting sued or anything over an image but I like to think I'm doing everything above board. As I say - I'll soon be replacing these temporary images with my own.

 

[peteheat]

Just type in Google search bar what you want an image of and at top of page click where it says images. All the results are in the public domain and free to use

Can be a big mistake !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything on the www is in the public domain doesn't mean it's free to use, you could find yourself with a substantial invoice from Getty images and possible court proceedings if you don't pay.

We had a situation where a supplier told us to use the images off their web site, turned out their designer hadn't paid the royalty on an image that he substantially modified Getty came after us and everyone else who used that image, my bill was over a €1,000.00 Getty have a code in all of their images and use a bot to find breeches of copyright.

Suppliers are happy to allow copy & paste so long as you are intent on using their products, some will give you original copies to use.

If you see an image on say an Australian web site you can ask the owner if you can use it in exchange for a link back to their site, some won't reply to your email others will be happy to have been asked and considering the distance we are away from them give permission.

The images you see on Google are part of the SEO for a web site, click on them and they will bring you back to the original web site.

 

[Keefy]

That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid Pete. You can also do a copyright search in an image's history but most of the time it leads to a dead-end, I'm hoping that as long as I can prove I did adequate research to find if an image was copyrighted I could avoid a lawsuit or whatever by just agreeing to take it down and apologising. If, and a big if, it ever came to that.

 

[kay-jay]

What images are you after? If its products or logos you won't have an issue. Manufacturers want you to promote their goods