Avoiding a copyright problem.
THE RULE
You cannot use images found through a search engine. They belong to someone, and rights holders do pursue this.
A copyright complaint can mean a demand for payment, and repeated complaints can affect your hosting.
LEGITIMATE SOURCES
Photographs you took yourself, which are best for a local business Free stock libraries offering images under permissive licences Paid stock libraries Images commissioned from a photographer Images supplied by a manufacturer, with permission
CHECK THE LICENCE
Free does not always mean free for commercial use, or free without attribution. Read what the licence requires.
Keep a record of where each image came from and under what licence.
WHY YOUR OWN PHOTOGRAPHS ARE BETTER
They show your actual work, your actual premises, your actual team. That is more persuasive than any stock image, and there is no licensing question.
IF YOU RECEIVE A COMPLAINT
Remove the image immediately, then establish whether the claim is valid. Ignoring it makes things worse.
FOR CLIENT WORK
Agree who supplies images and who holds the licences.
