Pixels Web Design

I get asked all the time – where do you get free stock images that I can use in my blog or page or some other document. I am always on the lookout for good quality free stock images as well. You can trawl Flickr for royalty-free images. For some of the images, you will have to give attribution.

Of late I have started using Unsplash (good quality beautiful images) you can sign up for their newsletter. You will receive notification of their newest uploads. I use Pexels, Pixabay PicJumbo, Lifeofpix for building photos and travel coffee for travel photos.
Please check for attribution before using and if needed please attribute the photographer.
Most of the photos you will find on these sites are free from copyright restrictions or licensed under creative commons public domain dedication. You can copy, modify, distribute and use for even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. However, some photos may require attribution. But they are all free to use.
1. Createherstock – Manually curated more than 200 high-quality images of women of colour, which might be used for personal use only. View licence.
2. Crello – Similar to Canva, Crello is a free graphic design tool by Depositphotos, which has many free images for you to use.
3. Depositphotos – Depositphotos offers a sample of free images, vectors, editorial content, and footage, which is updated every week. You can also sign up for an account to get the free stock files every week.
4. Freeimages – Free Images provides over 300,000 free stock images under its own license. The license allows a very broad range of uses, though it does list several restricted use cases (which are quite common for most free images sites).
5. Wocintechchat – An album of photos of women of colour in tech, started by Christina and Stephanie, the founders of Chat. The images can be used as long as you attribute Chat or wocintechchat.com. (While the team isn’t updating the album anymore, there are over 500 images to choose from!)
6. Pexels: Best free photos in one place.
7. All The Free Stock: Free stock images, icons, and videos.
8. Designers Pics: Free photographs for your personal & commercial use.
9. Splashbase:Search & discover free, hi res photos & videos.
10. Startup Stock Photos: Make something.
11. Jay Mantri: Free pics. do anything (CC0). Make magic.
12. Moveast: This is a journey of a Portuguese guy moving east.
13. Travel Coffee Book: Sharing beautiful travel moments.
14. Unsplash: Free (do whatever you want) high-resolution photos.
15. Death to the Stock Photo: Free photos are sent to you every month.
16. Foodie’s Feed: Free food pictures in hi-res.
17. Mazwai: Free creative commons HD video clips & footage.
18. Jéshoots: New modern free photos.
19. Super Famous: Photos by Dutch interaction designer Folkert Gorter.
20. Picography: Free hi-resolution photos.
21. Pixabay: Free high-quality images.
22. Magdeleine: A free high-resolution photo every day.
23. Little Visuals:7 hi-res images in your inbox every 7 days.
24. Snapographic: Free stock photos for personal & commercial use.
25. New Old Stock: Vintage photos from the public archives.
26. Picjumbo: Totally free photos.
27. Life of Pix: Free high-resolution photos.
28. Gratisography: Free high-resolution photos.
29. Public Domain Archive: New 100% free stock photos.
30. IM Free: A curated collection of free resources.
31. Cupcake: A photographer’s treat by Jonas Nilsson Lee.
32. The Pattern Library: Free patterns for your projects.
33. Getrefe: Free photos.
34. ISO Republic: High-quality, free photos for creatives.
35. Stokpic: Totally free photos.
36. Kaboompics: The best way to get free photos.
37. Stock Up: Best free stock photo websites in one place.
38. Paul Jarvis: Free high-resolution photos.
39. Raumrot: Free high-resolution picture.
40. MMT: Free stock photos by Jeffrey Betts. Royalty
41. Burst : Free photos for your next project. Neat photos in many categories
42. Reshot : Free photos. Very different from other stock sites. Human interest images.
What Is Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. There are various types of Creative Commons licenses that range from allowing any type of use with no attribution to allowing only certain uses and no changes.
What Is Public Domain?
Works in the public domain are those whose copyrights have expired, have been forfeited, or are inapplicable. Finding something on the internet does not mean it is in the public domain.
What Is Royalty-Free?
Royalty-free images aren’t necessarily free. In most cases, you’ll have to pay a one-time fee to obtain the rights to use the image. Then you can use it as many times as you like. The “free” in “royalty-free” only means that you do not have to pay royalties to the owner of the image every time you use it.

12 Must-haves for your home page
Headline
Within three seconds, you need to convey what your business is about. Your headline needs to be simple succinct and convey the essence of your services.
Those who are interested in your services will want to learn more so have a visible button that says learn more and take them to your services page.
Some samples Dropbox, Evernote Notion
Sub-headline
Your sub-headline should support the headline and offer a short description of what you offer. Pinpoint a pain point that your product or service solves.
Notion does this well. “Consolidate your docs, wikis, and projects in Notion — and stay aligned through hypergrowth.”
Use larger fonts to give visitors a better experience on the mobile. H1 headings are perfect for page titles — there should only be one H1 on a page. Subheadings should follow the order of the hierarchy, H2, H3 ... H6, and so on. You can have several of these headings, just make sure they’re in order.
Calls-to-Action (CTA)
The goal of your homepage is to engage visitors to dig deeper into your website and move them down the funnel. Include two to three calls-to-action above the fold (what is above the fold) that direct people to different stages of the buying cycle — and place them in spots that are easy to find.
These CTAs should be visually stand out, (in a colour that stands out from the colours on your home page.) while still fitting in with the overall design. Keep the text brief — no more than five words — and action-oriented. Examples are "Sign up," "Make an appointment," or "Try it for free."
Supporting Image
Make sure to use an image (or even a short video) that clearly indicates what you offer. Use images that capture emotion, drive action, and visually tell the story you’re writing about.
To optimize your images for mobile users, use high-quality images that have a reduced file size. Also, always add alt text to your images to make them more accessible to visitors who use screen readers and to take your SEO efforts up a notch.
Benefits
Prospects want to know about the benefits of buying from you because that's what will compel them to stick around.
Keep the copy lightweight and easy to read, and speak the language of your customers. Keep it jargon-free and 8th-grade language.

Social Proof
Social proof is a powerful indicator of trust. Your product or service could be the best in the world, and it's okay to lay that claim — it's just that people may not believe you unless they hear it from other people, too
Include just a few of your best (short) quotes on the homepage, and link to case studies if applicable. Adding a name and photo gives these testimonials more credibility. Also have testimonials left by your customers on other platforms like Facebook or Google reviews. It is more credible than the ones on your website.

Navigation
The design and content in your homepage navigation could mean the difference between a website conversion and a bounce. To decrease bounce rate, give your visitors a clear path to the pages they need right from the homepage. Make the navigation menu visible at the top of the page, and organize the links in a hierarchical structure.

Content Offer
To generate even more leads from your homepage, feature a really great content offer, such as a whitepaper, eBook, or guide. Those who may not be ready to buy might rather download an offer that gives them more information about a topic they're interested in.
Secondary Calls-to-Action
Include secondary CTAs on your homepage to offer additional conversion opportunities for prospects who aren't interested in your primary objective. They offer another path for visitors who are not yet ready for something as high-commitment as you're asking.
While your primary CTAs should be above the fold, place secondary CTAs below the fold to give visitors actions to take when they scroll down. For example, It could be for a secondary cost-effective service that you provide.
Features
In addition to benefits, list some of your key features. This gives people more of an understanding of what's provided by your products and services.
Resources
Again, most visitors to your website won't be ready to buy ... yet. For folks who are looking for more information, offer a link to a resource center where they can browse relevant information. Not only does this keep them on your webpage for longer, but it also helps you establish your credibility. This will help people who are in the market but aren’t yet ready to commit to a purchase.
Success Indicators
Customer success stories or case studies – how your business solved a pain point for your customer will help in your credibility and trust score.

New revamped website of pixels is alive! Little lottie animations on the home page. Flat vector graphics on all the pages. why went this way? The image files are so tiny - the page load is great as a result. Looks modern and fresh. The revamp was a long time coming. We are also offering new services like In-depth SEO competition research to find keyword/phrase gaps so you can spend less and get bang for your buck. Increased lead generation from your website. Check it out.

www.pixels.net.nz