How To Find Images for Your Affiliate Marketing Website?

More than SEO-optimized blog posts, you'll also need to know how to get images for your website if you want to get started with affiliate marketing. But how to find images for your affiliate marketing website? Images bring your blog posts to life, increasing engagement and time spent on the page.

However, due to copyright, you cannot simply use any image you find on the internet. You'll have to rely on available stock photos, your imagery, and official product photos instead. I'll go over each of these options in more detail below.

Terms To Know Before Using Any Free Images.

Before we begin, there are a few things you should be aware of. The terms listed below will be used frequently as we discuss free image sources. Examine each site's terms and conditions to determine when and how much attribution is required.

What Exactly Are Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that facilitates the sharing and applying of creativity and knowledge by providing free legal tools. Creative Commons licenses allow any type of use with no attribution to only specific uses and no changes.

What Is Public Domain?

Works in the public domain are those whose copyrights have expired, been forfeited, or are otherwise ineffective. Finding something online does not necessarily imply it is in the public domain.

What Is Royalty-Free?

Royalty-free images aren't always free. In most cases, you will be required to pay a one-time fee in order to obtain the rights to use the image. You can then use it as many times as you want. The term "royalty-free" simply means that you do not have to pay royalties to the image's owner every time you use it.

How To Find Images for Your Affiliate Marketing Website

Use A Stock Photo Website.

There are numerous excellent free stock photo resources available such as Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay.

Many people only use one website to find stock images for their affiliate marketing website, and that's it. They don't bother looking for alternatives, even if the photos they use are widely available on the internet. You can get away with using free stock images in many cases, but only if you broaden your search parameters.

Instead of using well-known stock image sites, look for lesser-known ones, such as Unsplash. Regardless of where you get your images, you should always include at least one featured image in your posts. Featured images draw attention to your content, while additional photos throughout your posts help break down text walls.

Fortunately, a few services offer multiple free stock image databases simultaneously. My top two choices are:

LibreStock

Librestock is an online stock photo index site that gathers photos from various free stock photo sites. Their distinct interface, vast selection, and centralized access have made them a popular destination for designers and developers, prompting some to wonder why other multisite stock photo engines have not been as successful.

This is my favorite because it has a cleaner interface and allows you to filter the websites you visit.

Freepik

This is the place to start if you're looking for free vector and icon files.

Freepik is a search engine that assists users in locating high-quality photos, vector images, illustrations, and PSD files for use in their creative projects. Freepik, based in Spain, uploads over 80 000 exclusive free resources each month, designed by the Freepik team or the community of graphic designers and vector artists contributors.

If neither of those sites has the perfect image for you, you can subscribe to a premium stock image website. Shutterstock is one of the most well-known names in the industry, and the difference between free stock sites and services like this one is mind-boggling. Subscriptions are expensive, so this should only be considered if your affiliate blog is already profitable or you have a large budget.

Use Official Product Images.

You should always include at least one official product image when discussing physical products. You can find them on the manufacturer's website or, if you're an Amazon Associate, on Amazon.

Official product photography is almost always of high quality. They also show the product from various angles. Finally, because they have a white background, they look good in comparison tables like these:

If you want to use Amazon product photos, keep the following in mind. You cannot simply download the images and place them on your website. You must be a registered Amazon Associate and use Amazon's API or SiteStripe to use Amazon's images. Failure to do so may result in expulsion from the Amazon affiliate program.

If you're using official product photos directly from the manufacturer, make sure to check first to see if it's permitted. You don't want to become involved in a copyright infringement lawsuit at some point. In most cases, they'll be perfectly fine with it; in fact, they'll be delighted that you're willing to promote their products on your website.

Ask Photographs from Others

If all else fails, you'll have to get creative in order to find images for your affiliate blog posts. In most cases, you will not actually own the products you review because it would be prohibitively expensive to build an affiliate blog otherwise. That means you're relying on online information and the opinions of people who have actually used the products. So, why not ask one or more of those people to take some photos for you?

Amateur photography can make an affiliate review or product comparison stand out. They distinguish you from the other online marketplaces and drop shipping websites that use the same images. The only question is how you can contact the owners of those products and convince them to take a few photos for you to use.

My favorite place to look is on niche-specific forums. They are goldmines of opinions and information you would not otherwise find, allowing you to contact people who own those products. What you need to do to get your photos is as follows:

Contact someone who has discussed their experience with the product you want to review. Check to see if they have any product photos. If so, contact them to see if you can use those and credit them If that doesn't work, offer them something more tangible, like $10 or an online gift certificate (get creative!) in exchange for taking a few pictures and sending them to you.

The key here is to obtain permission from the people who took the photographs to use them legally. You can attribute them by linking to their website or social media profiles. You can also ask them directly for the rights to the photographs they take if you offer to pay them. That way, you can use them wherever and whenever you want.

Final Thoughts

Images are an important part of any affiliate website. No one likes being greeted by a large wall of text. Using images to break up your blog posts is a great way to liven things up and provide a better user experience.

If you choose the free stock option, keep in mind that free stock photos are overused at this point. Don't rely solely on them. You can use a premium service such as Shutterstock. This, however, will cost you an arm and a leg. A good alternative is to use a paid service like Freepik, which is significantly less expensive while still providing relatively unique premium imagery of reasonable quality.

Creating your own photos or screenshots is by far the most straightforward way to add unique visuals to your affiliate website.

Official product photos are essential for any affiliate marketer discussing physical products. However, if you use Amazon, make sure to adhere to their policies. And, if you get your photos directly from the owner, always ask for permission first