Camille Peter has already explained how important high-quality images are for a website in her article "Optimal images for your website – made easy". They make a decisive contribution to how long a visitor will stay on a website. If the first picture on the start page says nothing and is also pixelated, the visitor will in most cases leave the website again. So we suggest that you invest enough time in the selection of the right photos.

However, if the necessary change for a professional photographer or paid image databases is missing and you do not want to reach for the camera yourself, 6 free image databases are listed below.

Pexels

On Pexels you can search for specific terms with the help of the prominent search field. In the menu under "Discover" you will find additional pages such as "Popular photos", "Popular search terms" and "Photos by color". The latter function can be very useful to achieve a harmonious visual language on the website.

Unsplash

In addition to the search function, Unsplash offers a variety of "Collections". The pictures in it are coordinated and fit together very well.

Pixabay

On Pixabay you will find not only pictures but also excellent illustrations, vector graphics and videos. The latter are currently in vogue and make your website much more lively.

Kaboompics

Kaboompics offers a great search with filter functions like orientation (portrait or landscape) and color definition. Useful at the detail view of a photo is the color palette, which is read from the photo. You can also view more photos of the same photo shoot.

Splitshire

Splitshire works with predefined categories. Of course there is also a search function, but the keywording did not always work perfectly in my tests. Nevertheless one should not leave the side left, because the pictures and videos are very worth seeing.

picjumbo

Compared to the other image databases, Picjumbo is the most confusing. Nevertheless, the site offers great pictures, which are divided into categories and can of course also be found using the search function. With a premium account you can download even more pictures.

Copyright

All listed image databases do not require explicit naming of the website or the photographer. Of course they are thankful if they are linked anyway, but one moves absolutely in the area of the legal if one does not do this. What is forbidden, however, is the resale of the pictures. You are also not allowed to pass yourself off as the author.