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5+5 amazing sites for free stock photos

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Reka Veszeli, marketing tips, marketing, branding, social media
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5 + 5 amazing sites for free stock photos you must know

In this article, I’ve collected my top 5 alternatives for iStock or Shutterstock if you are looking for royalty free images. In addition, I’ve done the research for you to find another top 5 option that is mostly recommended by other bloggers.

If you are looking for more engagement on social media the first thing to do is to improve your visuals. Photos that resonates better with your content and audience and a more cohesive look can make a huge difference.

“Easy to say… but how to do it without spending a fortune on stock photos?”

1) Pexels

It’s not a surprise that Pexels is among the most popular ones. They offer a wide range of well-organized photos in their ever-growing collection. This is the first place to go for me and I usually don’t have to continue my search more.

Update: Now you can browse free videos too.

2) Unsplash

The website claims over 70,000 contributing photographers, so it’s not a surprise how large is their collection. The images are simply beautiful, and you can get any of those in high resolution in a minute. Sounds like a good deal, huh?

3) Pixabay

As you can see on the picture Pixabay automatically sets the language as Hungarian for me. (I guess based on my IP address.) This non-pre-made setting is not just making the surface more familiar but makes it possible to search in your native language – unlike many other sites. I generally prefer to search in English, but I like the opportunity to be able to search in other languages successfully.

If you are a marketeer this site is a must have for you as Pixabay seems to be more marketing and business oriented and it also offers free vectors and illustrations.

mobile banner_Top 10 sites for free stock photos by Reka Veszeli

4) Canva

The free image collection of Canva might not the largest, but quality and uniqueness compensate the issue with quantity. If you are using the Canva design tool the process is even easier. Just choose your design, go to Elements / Free photos and add the image you like to your design.

Update: Now you can add free videos too.

5) Rawpixel

The only site on my list that requires you to register in order to download any image is Rawpixel. To be honest, I’m not really a fan of being forced to do so, but once you saw its’ diverse collection – including vectors –  you’ll forgive it.

brand board, downloadable, free brand board, template

Haven’t found your favourite or still looking for more? Check these ones too

6) Morguefile

7) Reshot

8) Pikwizard

9) Picjumbo

10) Stockvault

kobu-agency-703554-unsplash

Image source: Unsplash @Kobu Agency

How to use Royalty free stock photos

Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license basically means that you can use those photos as you wish. “You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.”

For more information visit Creative Commons

tips and advices

  • Mark the author
    I’ve been guilty of not doing this in the past, but as I’m getting more conscious, I’m always trying to mark the author too. I think a mention on the website or a hashtag on Instagram is the least we can do for our photo-heroes.

  • Choose your favourites, but don’t forget the others
    Having your favourite site can save you time on searching, but it also narrows your opportunities. I suggest bookmarking multiple options and look around on other sites from time to time.

  • Save your favourites for later
    Think about tomorrow. You know your visual style and your content types, so it should be a no-brainer to decide which images can be useful later. Create a folder on your computer and save those images you feel can be useful later.

  • Don’t rely only on stock images
    Stock photos are amazing, but nothing is better than original and truly unique images. Try to use your own pictures as much as possible.

This article is not a sponsored content. I haven’t been hired or paid to recommend any of the sites.

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All about Gmail signatures: How to create and set multiple beautiful email signatures

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All about Gmail signatures

How to create and set multiple beautiful email signatures

Having a killer email signature will make the first impression of you last even longer. A good one contains all the most important contact information, but it can be used to promote your best performing article, subscription link and social media channels.

The basic Gmail signature form provides only limited editing options, but with the help of Google Docs and Canned responses you can create breath-taking professional signatures.

If you are interested in how to get an inexpensive branded email address with G Suite read my previous article.

source: Pexels author: hamonazaryan1

Create the signature

1) Open Google Docs and create a new document

2) Create your signature
The surface is quite similar Word. You can insert tables and edit the borders and the wideness of the columns. You can insert images and links too. Google saves the changes automatically

3) Copy it with Ctrl+C 

Add the signature as canned responses

1) Log in to Gmail

2) Click the gear icon on the right. Select settings

3) Select the Advanced tab

4) Enable Canned responses option (Don’t forget to save changes)

5) Click on Compose – like you do when you’re about to write a new email

6) Add your pre-made signature (Ctrl+V)

7) Click on the 3 dots at the bottom of the open window and choose Canned responses / New canned response… under Save

8) Edit the name and save it

9) If you would like to add multiple signatures just repeat these steps

How to use canned responses

Add a canned response

When creating a new email or replying to one click on the 3 dots in the new message window and choose Cannes responses. Choose the name of your canned response under Insert.

Edit a canned response

Edit the previously inserted signature or create a new one. Click thename of the canned response you want to edit under Save.

Delete a canned response

Click the canned response you want to delete under Delete.

Have any questions? Post it on Facebook or Instagram or drop a mail to hello@rekaveszeli.com.

This article is not a sponsored content. I haven’t been hired or paid to recommend G Suite. The article was published in 09/2018, so parts of it might be outdated.

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5 reasons why you need a professional email address

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5 reasons why you need a professional email address

As a new business owner, you have plenty to do – I know – and getting a personalized email address might seem like another task on that long list, that doesn’t even worth the effort, but trust me it does. Having a branded email address offers you several advantages, so I’ve collected the top five to convince you.

branded professional email address

1) Make your first impression count

An email can be the first impression of you, and probably you want to make it as professional as possible. A generic address suggests, that you are not a professional blogger, an entrepreneur or a small enterprise owner, only an enthusiastic fellow who has a part-time passion. Nice image, but I’m pretty sure it’s not how you want to be pictured in your future customers’ mind. 

2) Build trust

One of the first things that make me uncertain about contacting a business for their services or products is when I see their email address is mybusiness@gmail.com or @yahoo.com.

A branded email can be encouraging by giving the sense of security and the picture of a serious business. Let’s be honest. Whom would you rather trust – and send money or personal data? A random gmail address or to a professional one? Exactly…

3) It is easily available and inexpensive​

There are multiple ways to get a professional email address. It can be provided by your hosting / website / domain provider or you can choose other solutions – like G Suite. No matter which one you prefer it will probably took you less than 15 minutes and about 0 to 5 EUR per month. Not a big deal, right?

Do you want to know how to get an inexpensive personalized email address in just minutes? Check out my post: How to get an inexpensive branded email address with G Suite

4) Standardized email addresses

It seems like a good idea to have a generic address for your business – until you need a second one. By having a branded address, you can standardize your email accounts. You can provide separate email address to every colleague of yours (like reka@mybusiness.com) or to every department (sales@). This method also can be useful if you have a newsletter (newsletter@) or special promotions (promotion@ or 2for1@)

Example: Currently we are using hello@rekaveszeli.com as a general contact address and support@rekaveszeli.com for GDPR and privacy related questions or support requests.

This way no matter how fast your business grows or how the customer needs changes you will be able to keep pace with it and maintain the professional look all the way long.

5) Brand awareness

And last, but not least: never forget about branding. You should be proud of your company and you should promote that – not a mail provider. Your contact info is one of the most important and essential part of your business. Don’t neglect it.

This article is not a sponsored content. I haven’t been hired or paid to recommend G Suite or any other email provider.

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Let me introduce your free proofreader: Grammarly

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Let me introduce you your new proofreader: Grammarly

There are many situations when you would appreciate a full-time proof-reader. No matter it is a hyper hyper (hands in the air Scooter fans 😉 ) important mail for your boss, an urgent reply to a colleague, a contract or a love letter for a crush – probably you want no grammar mistakes.

Have you ever wondered whether you are typing a word correctly while you were writing a mail or a blog post? If you are a non-native English speaker – like me – I’m definitely sure you’ve done it at least once…

Let me introduce you Grammarly

If you run a WordPress site you’ve probably familiar with the plugins that offers you grammar check, but if you listen to me you would give a chance to a browser extension, called Grammarly. Grammarly is a ‘free writing assistant’ that helps you to avoid grammatical mistakes, comma splices, adjective order and wordiness – nearly anywhere on the web including Facebook, Linkedin, Gmail or your blog.

How can I get it? Quite simply:

1) Let's Google

The easiest way is to type ‘grammarly *browser name* extension’ to your commonly used search engine. (I use Chrome so this is how I will show it.)

2) Go to extensions

Select the one result that leads you to the browser’s extensions/add-ons

3) Add it

Click on Add to Chrome

4) Personalise

The extension is now added, but you’ll need a log in. When it is added to your browser it automatically opens grammarly.com to set up your profile. Now you can personalise your account or you can Skip it if you wish – I provided the few info they asked for.

5) Log in

For this you’ll need to give an email address, a password and your name. It is not required to tick the small box, only if you wish to receive promotional emails.

6) Choose plan

Choose the free or the premium plan

Done

And here you are: Grammarly is added to your browser, so anytime you type something to your browser so you can continue to type with confidence.

TAKE NOTE: You can check your documents as well if you visit your Grammarly homepage and upload your document – or you can add Grammarly to Windows.

This article is not a sponsored content. I haven’t been hired or paid to recommend Grammarly. This article was published in 07/2018, so parts of it might be outdated.

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