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Do Not Let Your Images Blow Up Your Blog

January 13, 2014 By Gail Gardner 26 Comments

Don't Let Images Blow Up Your Blog
Custom Image by NewHorizons123.com

Using images in your blog posts and marketing creatives is NOT optional. But knowing which images are safe to use confuses most bloggers, marketers, and small business owners and managers.

I previously explained the difference between free and royalty free and compiled extensive links to places bloggers can get images in this post on DirJournal:

  • 43+ Free Blog Images Sources: Where to Get Royalty Free Photos

Table of Contents

  • DMCA Takedowns
  • Creating Original Images
      • Gail Gardner
      • Latest posts by Gail Gardner (see all)

DMCA Takedowns

2014 will bring even more shutdowns of blogs for copyright infringement DMCA take-own claims. Many bloggers are not aware of these issues in spite of some huge DMCA take-downs.

Buying images from sites that allow creators to upload them is some protection, but many of these sites allow users to upload images they claim are theirs – but may not be.

Save this in case you ever need it:
How to Respond to a DMCA takedown notice.

The safest and most compelling images are those you create yourself.  With Pinterest driving massive amounts of traffic and Facebook and G+ becoming more visual – not to mention Instagram and mobile growth – if you want your blog to stand out you need original images.

Creating Original Images

I predict in 2014 we’re going to see top bloggers using more creative, custom images. Being graphics challenged myself, I am thrilled to have met creative magician Julie Weishaar.

Julie is multi-talented. She does:

  • Unique custom videos for businesses
  • Installed the marketing system you see in the top right of my blog now. (Subscribe to find out why I wanted it and what it can do for your blog or business site.)
  • Custom images

You can learn to use the tools Julie uses to create your own custom images. To create the image above she used Logo Creator and one of the Cartoon Vector graphics images included in the Vector Character Packs you can see by subscribing below.

But since Julie has talent and many subscriptions to unique images on multiple sites, businesses or bloggers who can afford it may want to just hire Julie instead.

WANT SOME FREE IMAGES? Go here.

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Gail Gardner

Small Business Marketing Strategist at GrowMap
Gail Gardner is the founder of GrowMap.com. She is a Small Business Marketing Strategist who mentors small businesses, bloggers, and freelancers. After 23 years in the field with IBM and 5.5 years managing AdWords accounts, her focus shifted to small business marketing strategy. GrowMap.com is listed by Cision as a Top 100 Site for Marketers and has received three Small Business Influencer Awards from Small Business Trends. Named by D&B a Top 50 SMB Influencer on Twitter, you can follow Gail @GrowMap and on LinkedIn.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Pinterest profileMy Tumblr blogMy YouTube channel

Latest posts by Gail Gardner (see all)

  • Free Mentoring: How to Use the Inexpensive CRM Bigin to Increase Income - December 9, 2020
  • How to Create a Blog to Promote Your Services - December 9, 2020
  • Influencer Marketing Guide For Maximum Business Growth - November 26, 2020
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Filed Under: Blogging Best Practices Tagged With: custom images, images

Comments

  1. Syed Brothers says

    April 17, 2020 at 5:48 am

    I being a content developer my self have these issues you might not have a clue about the images you are using are free to use or not .This creates a lot of problems but the above article sure provides a better understanding of the concept.

    Reply
  2. Gail Gardner says

    August 7, 2016 at 8:33 am

    Hi Philip,

    Thank you for your comments. You should know that even though Akismet is not installed in this blog, WordPress insists on automatically putting all your comments into spam here. On some blogs they will be instantly deleted. To understand this read https://growmap.com/akismet-configuration/

    I rescue them from there, but many bloggers won’t see them so you will have to find an alternate way of letting them know you commented. (I use Twitter.)

    Bloggers can get free images from some stock image companies. I get mine out of MavSocial and they have a free account option you can get. You can read about it in https://growmap.com/amazing-visuals/

    We can also create our own images in Canva. Many of the images you see on this blog, particularly if they have the title or my log on them, were created in Canva. For videos on how to use it see http://www.socialwebcafe.com/social-media/facebook/canva-tutorials/
    Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Simplilearn Digital Marketing Training: Get Qualified Now for High Paying In-Demand JobsMy Profile

    Reply
  3. kuda says

    June 5, 2015 at 7:06 am

    I think you’re right and that we’re already seeing this with the increase of social media sharing and sites like Pinterest. I also think this will spill over into creative assets like video and infographics. Something We’re seeing clients begin to invest in more heavily and something they’ve earmarked in 2014 budgets.

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      June 7, 2015 at 5:13 pm

      Hi Kuda,

      Thanks for taking time to comment. Large, colorful, compelling images are absolutely essential. Most social shares that don’t contain an image struggle to even be seen and typically influencers don’t bother to retweet or share posts without them. Check out my post about Amazing Visuals: Where to Get Them.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..4 Content Marketing Lessons You Can Learn from a Local Mustang DealerMy Profile

      Reply
  4. Abinav says

    June 6, 2014 at 10:22 am

    Yes Gail, we all need to be care about those issues…
    Abinav would love you to read ..Facebook Tips and Tricks 2014 [Updated]My Profile

    Reply
  5. Abinav says

    May 25, 2014 at 5:39 am

    Hey Gail, Thanks for the information, I never knew about these DMCA take downs, After reading the guide about DMCA takedowns I came to know a lot about these things..:)

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      May 25, 2014 at 8:12 pm

      Hi Abinav,

      Let’s all hope we never have to deal with a DMCA personally. Many are invalid and cost sites a lot of money.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Social Implications SMsimpl Membership Site: Join Us for Social Media AnswersMy Profile

      Reply
  6. Larry Rivera says

    January 29, 2014 at 5:37 pm

    Great topic, as a blogger I am always trying to find ways to be more original. I actually went out and bought Canon T4i so that I could get really good custom images….Finding images that are free has always been a challenge for me. Thanks for the heads up about the DMCA.
    Larry Rivera would love you to read ..Are The Days Of Guest Blogging Gone Forever ?My Profile

    Reply
  7. videojeeves says

    January 29, 2014 at 10:31 am

    Hello Gail Gardner,
    I am agreed with you, the proper way of posting is the correct use of images that can increase the interest among the visitors. A successful post do not need a lot of images it only needs some images but it should be noted that the images must be relevant to the post and about the content, it must be so innovative and carries new information that is not published online before.

    Reply
  8. Robert says

    January 23, 2014 at 11:58 am

    Images are worth 1000 words but infographic images are worth even more words:)
    Robert would love you to read ..2014 Digital trends and predictions [Infographic]My Profile

    Reply
  9. Zareen says

    January 21, 2014 at 12:42 am

    I think the images are good for your blog. But you should manage the images as per the web 2.0 requirements. Your page should not be overloaded with the unwanted images, as it will make user experience and behavior bad.
    Zareen would love you to read ..Civil Engineering Internships 2014: Mega Careers SAMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Gail Gardner says

    January 20, 2014 at 10:25 pm

    Hi Zareen,

    If you leave very general comments like this you will be flagged as a spammer and usually the comments are deleted. You have write a comment that makes it clear you are commenting on that specific post. And not by inserting the title in it, either. (Another form of automated spam. We are buried in spam, so you have to make it obvious you aren’t a spammer.
    Gail Gardner would love you to read ..As an Entrepreneur, You’re the BossMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Jeff says

    January 18, 2014 at 11:57 pm

    Another handy thing – http://www.photopin.com is a tool that ties into the Flickr API and lets you search for CC-licensed images you can use on your blog. Plus it gives you the credit link / HTML to embed into your post. Handy!
    Jeff would love you to read ..Stop NetworkingMy Profile

    Reply
  12. Alex says

    January 18, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    I think that there will be a lot more of Graphic information conveyed on blog posts and websites rather than words. Info graphics alone have become a great means of communication and are pretty good for SEO. Thanks for the tools for creating custom images!
    Alex would love you to read ..Ticket’s to The TriadMy Profile

    Reply
  13. Janessa Russomanno says

    January 17, 2014 at 6:41 am

    Hello,

    Exactly using images on blog is really difficult task, before using image on blog you should check whether its going right with your blog.

    Reply
  14. Michael says

    January 16, 2014 at 10:27 pm

    I have seen this with Pinterest in the last couple of months. Thanks for the good read.

    Reply
  15. Tommy Landry says

    January 16, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    This is a very important topic, but there are other options aside from buying a premium license or taking / creating your own images. I use creative commons a great deal, and if you focus for an attribution / modification reuse license, you can use the image with a simple link back to the original source. I’ve found a range of great images this way, especially on flickr.com. Try it for yourself – works like a charm.

    Reply
  16. harish gupta says

    January 15, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    thanks gail for sharing this knowledge….
    I didn’t knew about this exactly….
    but made it understand so easily….
    keep up..!

    Reply
  17. Virtual Assisstant says

    January 15, 2014 at 9:19 am

    Ignorance is the key in these issues where one does not have the information of patents or copyrights. The best and effective way is to create images oneself but will it really help is something questionable.

    Reply
  18. Jason Benway says

    January 15, 2014 at 12:18 am

    I use zementa right now to add related images to my post. I alot of their images come from flickr and I look for the right to use information before I insert it into a post.I think 2014 is going to bring great things and new challenges for all of us.

    Reply
  19. fenny says

    January 14, 2014 at 1:54 am

    Thank you for this amazing post. Not only it was an interesting read but it also allowed me to note down some points which would

    help me with my own blog. 🙂

    Reply
  20. Julie Weishaar says

    January 13, 2014 at 9:54 pm

    Thanks Gail for the accolades 🙂 Obviously, I agree that images are very important. Seeing a comment like: “First of all the image made me laugh” from Isha is very rewarding. It means the image “works”. People are visual beings and visually appealing or eye-catching content grabs their attention so they will listen to your message.
    Julie Weishaar would love you to read ..Open the Window For Your Ecommerce Customers And Increase SalesMy Profile

    Reply
  21. Isha Jain says

    January 13, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    hey Gail,
    First of all the image made me laugh. This is very informative post. Everything in the post has been easily understandable.
    Thanks for sharing this lovely post. Keep posting
    Isha Jain would love you to read ..iBall Slide 3G 7271 HD7 tablet launchedMy Profile

    Reply
  22. Aahna says

    January 13, 2014 at 6:11 am

    Hi Gail,

    Image usage on the blog is really crucial, as it enhances the look of your blog posts and user experience. So using royalty free images are really important, but many bloggers are unaware of it. They still use the same old technique to find images by searching on Google.
    Aahna would love you to read ..Corporate video making companies IndiaMy Profile

    Reply
    • iDev says

      January 17, 2014 at 7:21 am

      Well Aahna I agree with you. Still many bloggers are using the same technique for image they just open the Google and searching image and used it in their blog. They even didn’t mention the source name nor given the credit to particular site. That’s really bad 🙂

      Reply
  23. iDev says

    January 13, 2014 at 8:33 am

    Good and informative post. I always create the image which is suitable for the post. I never buy/copied others images. I have a bad experience on buying the image. Thanks gail 🙂

    Reply

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