Stock Photo Libraries — How to Choose Good and Legal Images for Your Website?
A stock photo library is a service where you download legal photos, vector graphics, icons and video material for your website — under a clearly defined licence. Instead of risking a claim over an image "found in Google", you take material with a confirmed right of use. In this guide we show what licences exist, where to look for free and paid photos, how to treat AI-generated graphics and how to prepare an image so that it does not slow down your site.
In short
Only take website images from legal sources — your own, purchased from stock libraries (e.g. Adobe Stock, Shutterstock) or free ones under a licence that permits commercial use (e.g. Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay — always check the licence). Using someone else's photo without the rights risks real financial claims. Once you have chosen, remember to optimise for SEO: a lightweight format (WebP), a descriptive alt attribute and a sensible file name.
Why the legality of images matters
A photo downloaded from an image search engine or from someone else's website is almost always protected by copyright. Using it without a licence is a real risk: law firms and authors are known to send payment demands for a single image used on a company website or in a shop. The cost of a licence is incomparably lower than the cost of a dispute. That is why the first rule is: every image on your site must have a documented source and licence.
What are stock photos?
Stock photos are photographs created "in reserve" — universal and easy to fit into many projects. A stock photo library (a microstock agency) acts as an intermediary: it buys material from photographers around the world and makes it available under licensing terms. Most often this is a royalty-free model — once you have bought the licence you can use it many times, across many projects, without paying extra for each use. This is not the same as "free": royalty-free defines how you settle the payment, not the price.
Stock libraries also take care of the legal side: protecting copyright, securing consent from people visible in photos (the so-called model release) and contracts with buyers. As a result you are buying peace of mind, not just a graphic file.
Types of licence — what you can and cannot do
It is the licence, not the mere fact of downloading, that decides how you may use a photo. The most important types found in libraries and open-resource services:
| Licence | Commercial use | Modification | Attribution required |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC0 (public domain) | Yes | Yes | No |
| CC BY (attribution) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CC BY-SA (share-alike) | Yes | Yes (under the same licence) | Yes |
| CC BY-ND (no derivatives) | Yes | No | Yes |
| CC BY-NC (non-commercial use) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Royalty-free (paid stock) | Yes | Usually yes | Usually no |
The practical takeaway for a company: for a website and a shop the safest options are CC0 and paid royalty-free licences — they do not require a visible credit to the author on promotional graphics. Material marked NC (non-commercial) is out when you are promoting a product or service. Always check the licence on the source page of the photo, not from memory — the same author sometimes publishes part of their work under different terms.
Free versus paid — what to choose
Free stock photo libraries (e.g. Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay) work great on a blog, in supporting content and as a section background. The downside: the same shots circulate across thousands of sites, so it is hard to achieve a unique brand image. Paid stock offers greater variety, more polished shots and clearer licensing terms — it is the choice wherever a photo builds the credibility of your offer.
The best result comes from combining three sources: your own photos (product, team, projects) wherever authenticity and E-E-A-T matter, stock for general content, and graphics where you need a diagram or an icon.
AI-generated graphics — what is worth knowing
Images from AI generators (e.g. Midjourney, DALL·E, Stable Diffusion) can be a handy shortcut, but they come with separate questions about rights. Three things to watch out for:
- The terms of the specific tool — these determine whether you may use the graphic commercially. Check the terms of service; do not assume full freedom by default.
- The legal status of AI images is still inconsistent and interpreted differently; when in doubt, treat them more cautiously than licensed stock.
- Likeness and trademarks — a generator may reproduce a recognisable face or logo. Do not use such graphics in advertising.
For material that is meant to build trust in your company, a real photo still beats a generated image.
Optimising images for Core Web Vitals
A legal photo is only half the battle — the other half is its weight. Unprepared stock files can weigh several megabytes and harm your Core Web Vitals: they worsen LCP (the loading time of the largest element) and affect the layout stability of the page. A slow site means worse rankings and lower conversion. Before you upload an image:
- Match the dimensions to the space on the page — do not upload a 4000 px file where it displays at 800 px.
- Use modern formats (WebP, AVIF) instead of heavy JPG or PNG.
- Compress the file and enable lazy loading for images below the first screen.
- Fill in the
altattribute — descriptively, with both the user and the search engine in mind.
We have set this out step by step in a separate piece: an SEO guide: how to optimise images on your website. If you run a shop, see also how to speed up a WooCommerce store — product images are usually the heaviest load on a product page.
How to choose images that work
A good image for a website is not just a pretty shot. Follow a simple checklist:
- Visual consistency — one colour scheme and tone across the whole site.
- Relevance — the image should support the message of the section, not be decoration "for the sake of it".
- Naturalness — avoid overly "staged" stock shots that reduce credibility.
- Licence and weight — checked before publishing, always.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a photo from Google on my website?
No, not unless you have a licence for it. The image search engine shows photos from across the internet, most of which are protected by copyright. Safe sources are stock photo libraries, services with a CC0 licence and your own material.
What does a royalty-free licence mean?
That once you have acquired the licence on a one-off basis, you can use the photo many times, across many projects, without paying for each use. Royalty-free concerns the method of settlement, not the price — such a licence can be paid for.
Are CC0 photos fully free for commercial purposes?
Yes. CC0 is a waiver of rights — you can copy, modify and use such material commercially without attributing the author. Even so, it is worth keeping a record of the source for your own use, in case of any questions.
Can I use AI graphics on a company website?
It depends on the terms of the specific tool and the context. Check the generator's terms of service regarding commercial use and avoid graphics with recognisable faces or trademarks. For content that builds trust, a real photo works better.
How large should images on a website be?
As large as needed in a given spot — and no larger. Match the dimensions to the actual display size, save in WebP or AVIF format and compress so as not to harm Core Web Vitals.
Need a website that looks good and runs fast?
At the SEMTAK Marketing Agency we combine image selection with technical optimisation, so that photos build your brand rather than slow your site down:
- WordPress website development — fast, lightweight and ready for SEO.
- WooCommerce store development — with product images optimised for sales.
- SEO audit — we will check whether images and Core Web Vitals are not blocking your visibility.
Want to improve image weight yourself? Start with the guide on optimising images.
