Content marketing trends keep changing now and then. Marketers keep navigating from one trend to another to remain up-to-date with the latest thing.
While content marketing strategies vary from industry to industry, one thing that benefits all sectors almost equally is visuals. Photos, videos, illustrations, banners, etc., are essential tools of modern content marketing. They play an essential role in helping to increase your website conversion rate.
And what better place to get all these assets than stock image websites?
But, we also believe that as real customers are essential for real businesses, so are real pictures. Stock photos are a convenient and relatively cheaper alternative, but it is always a great idea to throw in some original photos to give your audience a peek into your business.
For example, if you have a home service company website you'll need real photos in your portfolio. Or when introducing your team members. This is where you have to turn to original photos to look authentic.
As you come up with ideas about clicking some original photos, also check out these stock images websites to get the best visuals to upscale your content marketing strategy.
Let's begin!
Pexels (Free)
If you want to achieve your content marketing goals with a touch of artistry in your visual content, Pexels is the place for you! This stock photo site has well-curated visuals, which are free for everyone.
Why choose Pexels?
For starters, the content on this website is absolutely free to download. Moreover,
All the images are nicely categorized, making it easy to navigate the unlimited visual assets without being overwhelmed.
Pexels also offers amazing design interface mockups that you can use to enhance your website's outlook.
The visuals are free but licensed. So, if you're worried about ending up in a copyright conflict, Pexels has your back!
Shutterstock (Paid)
Shutterstock is one of the best sites to buy images. It has more than 1 billion images, videos, and music tracks available for download. If you are looking for the best images for content marketing, you are sure to find a lot of stuff from the 300 million+ images this repository website showcases.
Why choose Shutterstock?
Among the many irresistible features of Shutterstock, the following are worth mentioning:
This stock photo site is a global phenomenon, with customers from more than 150 countries. This website caters to the needs of its versatile clientele in 21 languages.
Although it's a paid platform, you can download a few royalty-free images at a flat price, which is a pocket-friendly offer.
Their 30-day free trial is also something to look forward to. Didn't think a paid website would offer something this generous, did you?
Pikwizard (Free)
Who knew a free stock photo site could have so much to offer? Pikwizard houses thousands of pictures revolving around various subjects and scenarios, making it the perfect platform to hunt for content-marketing-worthy pictures!
Why choose Pikwizard?
We believe that Pikwizard is literally a "pic wizard"! Here's why:
No matter what industry you belong to, Pikwizard's vast stock of over 1 million pictures will have a lot to cater to your content marketing needs.
An online editing tool on this website is a plus that allows you to add a tinge of your creativity to the pictures, which helps minus the stocky element from the images.
iStock (Paid)
Did you know iStock stands among the first stock photo sites to offer royalty-free images to their customers? And that too, at astonishingly low prices. With iStock at your disposal, you can use the visuals for commercial and non-commercial purposes.
Why choose iStock?
iStock is your ultimate one-stop shop to access unlimited images for your content marketing plan. You should choose iStock because:
Thanks to the royalty-free license, you can use the images you purchase as often as possible after paying the one-time fee.
iStock's Android and iOS application allows you to download images straight to your mobile devices.
You can get fantastic discounts on iStock images with the help of a promo code.
The stock photo site also gives away a lot of freebies to its customers every week - something we suggest you don't miss out on.
Unsplash (Free)
Unsplash is undoubtedly a great stock photos platform, thanks to its even more generous community of photographers who contribute daily to the website's stockpiles! This site is home to more than 3 million high-resolution and terrific images you can grab without spending a dime.
Why choose Unsplash?
The fact that only the best contributions make it to Unspalsh's homepage says a lot about the effort the curators put into providing the best photos. It also reflects the seriousness with which the website handles its content.
Say goodbye to your copyrights worries because the visuals are backed by an Unsplash license.
The website allows you to curate your own collection of stock images, so you have your little stock of photos that you can access later.
Adobe Stock (Paid)
Adobe Stock is an offspring of Adobe Inc., the same company that owns the Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign software programs. This stock photo site offers an array of visual assets: images, videos, illustrations, templates, vector images, and 3D visuals.
Why choose Adobe Stock?
Adobe Stock offers you its Creative Cloud platform, allowing you to access and manage your images anywhere through their Creative Cloud apps.
Before you purchase their royalty-free images, the website offers a 30-day free trial to let you in on the quality and brilliance of the content.
Pixabay (Free)
For those who have a tight budget but still want to access high-quality business-oriented and commercial pictures to reinforce their content marketing efforts, Pixabay is the answer. This stock images website is packed with millions of such images that are yours for the asking. And the cost? Not a penny!
Why choose Pixabay?
You can now take your content marketing one step further by enhancing your web design as well! The fantastic collection of vector images, graphics, and illustrations available on Pixabay is a sure shot to do that.
The Editor's Choice section showcases some of the best shots you can incorporate into your projects!
Alamy (Paid)
Alamy houses more than 145 million visual assets on its platform, available to its vast and versatile clientele worldwide. The images on the platform are as versatile as the audience it is meant for.
Why choose Alamy?
There are a bunch of reasons why we recommend Alamy despite its relatively expensive price tags.
The contributions on this website come from some 173 countries; each piece is an epitome of diversity and ingenuity.
The platform is upgraded every day with 100,000 new photos to provide users with the hottest and the latest visuals from across the globe!
The content is definitely pricey, but the quality of it surely justifies the price tag!
Final Words
Content marketing today is incomplete without sprinkling in some high-quality pictures to make your content look appealing. While creating original images is the best option, not everyone has the budget or time for that.
Many businesses and/or their website designer need quick, effective solutions. This has made turning to stock photos for content marketing needs an obvious choice. The above websites are undoubtedly some of the best.
