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photo credit

How To Credit A Photo You Downloaded for FREE

May 30, 2021 by Nancy Fields Leave a Comment

How to properly credit any image you download from a free stock photo website:

  • What your credit should say
  • Where to find the name of the photographer
  • Where to put your photo credit
  • How to get Google to love you
Step-by-step 3-minute video shows where to place the photo credit

If you’d like me to notify you each time I give a free, live 10-Minute Monday presentation, click here to sign up. You’ll also received my list of favorite free stock photos.

What Your Photo Credit Should Say

As a fashion and beauty editor for Glamour, Mademoiselle and Weight Watchers Magazine photo credits were a must.

Today many free stock image photo sites say, ‘Attribution is not required, but appreciated.’ I like to give credit to anyone who has given me something of value for free.

Where To Find the Name of the Photographer

  • Go to the site where the image is located (such as Pexels, Pikwizard, Pixabay, Unsplash, etc.)
  • Click on the image
  • Look for the following information
  1. Photo URL
  2. Photographer’s name

5 hand bump photo with photo image URL example
Each Stock Photo house is a bit different. This is Pexels
Pikwizard

PRO TIP

Copy & paste the photo URL and the photographer’s URL into a simple text document like this…

You will need this information when it’s time to credit the photo

Where To Put Your Photo Credit

The following instructions are for WordPress

  1. Go to your Media Library
  2. Click on the photo to bring up the Description field
  3. Add the Photo URL (from the stock photo house) in the Description field

Optional: Add a photo credit as a “Caption”

  1. Insert an image into your Post or page.
  2. Under the image look for “Write caption” (see below)
  3. Add “Photo courtesy of [link to photographer] via [link to stock  photo house]
closeup of icecream waffle cone full of small white flowers

How To Get Google to Love You

Part of giving credit is linking to the photographer and the stock photo house (“Photo courtesy of [link to photographer] via [link to stock  photo house].)

The problem is you don’t want the search engines, like Google, to follow the link because Google may think you are a spammer who is trying to create false links, just for attention.

The solution is to create a nofollow link. Here’s how:

  1. In your WordPress Post or Page click on the “Text” tab
  2. Type in nofollow as indicated below
example of where to place nofollow code for photo credits

Don’t Forget to Alt Tag Your Images

Super important!

Search engines cannot yet read your images so you need to describe each image you upload for people who are visually impaired.

This short article will show you how to tag your images in WordPress.

Join Me Live On 10-Minute Monday

Hi. I’m Nancy Fields. I’ve been a graphic design for over 28 years. I build websites for coaches, entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Receive an invitation the next time I go LIVE for a FREE 10 minute training.

Topics include WordPress, design, and website tech challenges my customer are struggling with.

Sign up below. I hope to see you on my next 10-Minute Monday!  

Featured images courtesy of picjumbo via Pexels and Pikwizard

Filed Under: 10-Minute Monday, WordPress Tagged With: free images, free photos, photo credit

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