Increase Website traffic with Flickr

Increase Website traffic with free pics from Flickr, the popular photo sharing community.

World Class Traffic Jam
Originally uploaded by joiseyshowaa

Search engine optimization is an important part of any custom Web design, and using photos from Flickr can be a good strategy for encouraging inbound links.

Here's how to get started:

• Sign up for an account on Flickr. They're free.
• Find public domain or other free-for-use photos by clicking on "The Commons" or "Creative Commons" at the bottom of the site's homepage
• Be sure to select the "Attribution License" selection if searching for photos under Creative Commons
• Search for photos using keywords similar to the keywords you will be using on your Webpage or Website
• Double check the copyright conditions on the photos you have selected to be sure you have permission to use them
• Select the "Share This" option to the right of the photo you've chosen and paste the HTML and link for the photo into your Website.

Addional tips:

• Add the photo caption for the photo to your page especially if it uses keywords appropriate to your Website.
• If you would prefer a more formatted version of the photo with caption and links to the original image and author on Flickr already added, consider using the "Blog This" function above your selected photo. You will first need to visit your account page at www.flickr.com/blogs.gne and add a blog on WordPress, Blogger, TypePad etc. Follow the proceedures to post the photo to your blog than cut and paste the code directly onto you Website.

Comments

[Rebecca Lincoln]

Thanks. This is helpful. I've used a few photos from Creative Commons. However, one of them ended up being "all rights reserved". I was wondering how to check and be sure I didn't make that mistake again. It turned out okay. When I link to someone, I contact them and let them know.I ask that they tell me if there is a problem with the link. I figure that old school networking, like writing a thank you note, still applies in this new age of web based marketing. The person got my message and gave me permission to use the photo.

[Shawn]

Thanks for the comment, Rebecca, and you're right, it is always important to double check whether all photos placed in Creative Commons are OK to reuse. From time to time, members of the photo sharing community may mislabel photos placing even images with "All rights reserved" in an incorrect category. To double check the photographer's intentions, you should always scroll down the right side of the image page to the section with the heading "Additional Information" under "Tags" and check for the kinds of rights specified by the poster. If the photographer has indicated "Some rights reserved", click to see what specific rights and requirements are indicated under the Creative Commons license. A license granting rights to share and remix (alter the photo in some way for a new project) with proper attribution to the author is always best and can usually be satisfied by simply linking back to the original and the poster if they have a profile on Flickr.