Copyright infringement is a serious crime. If you have ever used a photo on your blog that you personally did not take, there’s a good chance you could have committed this crime. I know what you are thinking: “Uh, have you SEEN all the images on the internet? No way is that a big deal.” You may be right, but on the off chance you are wrong, wouldn’t it be a good idea to follow these three extremely simple steps to make sure your images and blog are protected?

Protect Your Blog Images

1. Use original photos: The easiest way to know for sure that you are not stealing another person’s artwork is to always use photos you physically took yourself. This is pretty easy for parenting blogs because you can stage your own kids, but you may have to get slightly more creative for other types of blogs. I would also advise downloading a free app to create a watermark or copyright stamp to put on all of your own photos. This makes it very clear that every image you use is your own and protects your images from being stolen.
2. Use photos offered under a creative commons license: This means users have uploaded their photos to the internet with the intent for anyone to be able to legally use this. If you are uncomfortable using your own children or home for your photos, this is the way to go. The options are more limited than a standard Google image search but it’s worth it.
3. Purchase royalty free photos: You can pay per image or sign up with a variety of sources with a membership to use photos. This is a less cost effective way of getting images BUT it is still important to note because sometimes the perfect blog needs the perfect image to go with it. If you run a profitable blog, this may be the answer. And paying mere pennies for an image trumps the thousands in fines and legal fees you could be charged if caught using stolen images.