We sure do like pictures, don’t we? As small kids we stockpiled picture books, and although some of us grew to enjoy books without photos in them, we always really like to see an image accompany the written word.

Websites are no different. In fact, some would argue that including photos on a website is almost as important as content. An attractive and striking photo will draw people to your site which is, of course, a Good Thing. So where do you find royalty-free, high-quality images for your site? More importantly, where do you find free and/or cheap images?

Stock photography sites tend to come and go with each passing year. Some disappear entirely due to lack of interest. In 2013, there are more high-quality photography sites that offer royalty-free images for websites than ever before. As more and more content marketing moves online, the demand for stunning photographic material to complement it continues to rise. For the time being, the following photography sites rule the roost.

Camera

Stock.XCHNG

Now under the management of Getty Images, Stock.XCHNG is one of the most comprehensive image repositories on the web. Boasting more than 400,000 images at present, dozens of new photos are added every day. Any of their photos are free to use as long as you adhere to some simple rules. In short, your use of their material can’t promote pornography or endorse hate speech, which you’re not going to do on your website because you are not a dummy, right? Right. Outside of that, it’s a photographic free-for-all.

Flickr

One of Yahoo’s most prudent purchases to date, Flickr is a wonder of modern crowdsourcing. Anyone with a camera and a web connection can upload snapshots of any locale in the world. Due to the fact that many will publish their photos under the Creative Commons License, Flickr’s photos are often free to use as long as you attribute them to their original sources. Though the use of Flickr for images doesn’t guarantee entirely unique photos, it’s a fantastic resource for 100% free pictures.

Big Stock Photo

As the name seems to imply, Big Stock Photo is a massive image depot that offers a wide variety of content. Individual photos are 99 cents a pop if you simply need a picture or two to flesh out a blog post or an infographic. If you’re in need of bulk quantities of images, they also offer far more advantageous subscription plans on a monthly basis that deliver up to 5 photos per day. Why would you pay for images when there are plenty of free ones available? Because oftentimes, you’ll find that the better quality photos are not free.

Fotolia

Though a bit more pricey than its competitors, Fotolia delivers the goods insofar as the highest quality royalty-free photos are concerned. With more than 23 million available images, it’s unlikely that you won’t find what you’re looking for within their voluminous archives. Signing up for an account is free, though credits will cost you at least $1.40 each. These credits are good for up to one year and allow you to purchase great photos for any given scenario.

Shutterstock

Though not the most famous stock photography site on the web, Shutterstock is nonetheless a favorite of serious marketers and bloggers. They claim to add over 10,000 images daily and there’s little reason to not believe them. At $199 per month for a 1-year subscription plan, Shutterstock is not cheap. However, it’s arguably the best overall paid photo site around. If you need plenty of images on a regular basis, this is the best choice.

These sites should give you a good place to start. If you’re in need of more niche photo sites, rest assured that there are dozens of options just a Google search away.