Viral Now - 10 Best Sites That Offer Gorgeous Free Images for Blogs

In our modern world, everything seems to move at hyper-speed. Most people decide whether they will keep reading something within just a few seconds. To keep readers’ attention on your blog, one of the best way is to use eye-catching visuals. A study conducted by Hubspot revealed that “photos on Facebook Pages received 53% more Likes than the average post“^[1] The same study also found that “photo posts attracted 104% more comments than the average post.” If you want to keep your readers’ engaged and attract new readers to your blog, the answer is simple: add more high quality visual content. The following are some great sites that offer free images for blogs.

Pixabay

Pixabay is one of the largest and most comprehensive photos sites on our list. They offer almost one million free photos from subjects as diverse as fresh asparagus and mountain goats to stunning cityscapes and portraits. All photos on the site are completely free and you are not required to credit the source in any way. Pixabay is one of the best resources for grabbing awesome photos in a short amount of time. Their search feature allows you to filter results based on your exact needs.

Unsplash

Unsplash is another great resource for free images for blogs. When you scroll through their site, you see only one photo at a time, which can be less overwhelming. They also have a search feature so that you can find specific subjects. If you don’t find what you are looking for on Pixabay, Unsplash may have just what you need. They also add new photos regularly and have a section where you can view the most recently added photos.

Foodies Feed

This site is amazing for everything food related. While some of the photos can be downloaded and used for free, this site also offers something called Foodiesfeed premium. After paying a one time fee, you have access to hundreds more photos, conveniently organized by type of food, holiday, or country of origin. If you regularly write about topics related to food, cooking, or restaurant dining, Foodiesfeed provides high quality images to pair with your posts.

Photogen

This site varies somewhat on the quality of their photos. However, you can search for photos based on simple categories and all photos are free with no attribution required. Their photos also have more of a unique, local feel than some of the other stock photography sites. If you need a specific image, but don’t want it to look like a professional photographer staged the shot, this could be a great site to use.

Skitterphoto

From delicious-looking sushi to adorable newborn puppies, skitterphoto offers an impressive variety of public domain images. They offer a range of quality, from amateur to professional looking photographs. You are also able to see how many times each photo has been viewed and downloaded, so you have any idea how many other sites are using that photo. This feature is useful if you want to find a photo that will make your site more unique.

Freeimages

Although the name implies all images are free, the site actually offers many different types of photos with different rates and attributions. This site is helpful if you need different types of quality in your photos. For example, you may want several basic photos that you don’t want to spend money to get. Then, you may need one or two extra high quality or rare images. This site allows you to browse and satisfy all your photo needs in one place.

Flickr

Flickr is another site with an overwhelming quantity of photos – in a good way. According to their homepage, flickr currently boasts 13 billion photos. Not all of these, however, are available for public use. If you want to find free, no attribution photos all you need to do is search for photos that have the creative commons license. Since most of the photos on this site are not free for public use, it’s important that you search correctly and check each photo for any necessary attributions.

Public Domain Pictures

The photos on this site are conveniently categorized and the site lets you filter results further by popularity, rating, and date. Most photos are available for free download at moderate sizes. If you need larger file sizes, you can download the premium version for a low fee, usually $.05-$.10. Under the “professional photos” section, the site features photos from other stock photography websites, so you can easily access a broad range of photos all from one place.

Ancestryimages

If you are looking for specific historical images, ancestry images is a great place to start. This site is different than the others mentioned so far, because it does not include general stock photography. Instead, the site focuses on highly specific historical documents like antique maps and decorative prints. If you need an image of an engraving from the mid 1800s or a three hundred year old map of China, ancestry images is the place to go!

Rgbstock

Rgbstock is more than just a stock photography site. Contributors to the site include graphic designers and other artists as well as photographers. As a result, the site has a higher ratio of graphics and abstract art than the other sites mentioned. The site does require you to register, but registration is completely free. Rgbstock is a great resource for blogs that need a lot of graphics or abstract images, in addition to more typical stock photography.