If your business publishes original photos, charts, illustrations or infographics, there is a good chance other websites are already using them. Bloggers grab product shots, journalists embed your charts, and directories copy your team photos. Many of them never credit you, and even fewer link back.
Image link building turns that problem into an opportunity. By finding where your images appear and politely asking for a credit link, you can earn relevant backlinks from sites that have already shown they value your work. It is one of the most efficient link tactics available, because the hard part (creating something people want to use) is already done.
This guide shows you how to find uncredited images with reverse image search, how to prioritise the opportunities, what to say in your outreach, and how to make future images easier to credit correctly.
Key Takeaways
- Image link building means finding sites that use your original images without a link, then asking them to add a credit link.
- Reverse image search tools such as Google Lens, Bing Visual Search and TinEye find copies of your images across the web.
- Friendly, specific credit requests work far better than legal threats for earning links.
- Only claim images you genuinely own or created; stock and licensed images are not yours to request credit for.
- Adding image license metadata and clear credit instructions makes future attribution easier.
Why Uncredited Images Are Link Opportunities
A site that uses your image has already decided your work is useful to its readers. That makes it a warmer prospect than almost any cold outreach target. The request is also small and fair: you are not asking them to write anything new, just to credit the creator, which is a widely accepted norm online.
The links you earn this way tend to be contextual (they sit next to the image in the body of an article) and topically relevant (people use images about your subject). This is the same principle behind turning unlinked brand mentions into links, applied to visual content.
| Image type | Why people reuse it | Link potential |
|---|---|---|
| Original charts and data visualisations | They illustrate a point with evidence | High, especially if based on original research |
| Infographics | They summarise complex topics quickly | High; see our guide to infographic link building |
| Product photography | Retailers, reviewers and marketplaces need product shots | Medium to high for brands and manufacturers |
| Team and founder photos | Used in interviews, event listings and press | Medium; often on news and event sites |
| Illustrations and diagrams | They explain processes visually | High in educational and B2B niches |
| Location and venue photos | Used by local guides and event pages | Medium, and useful for local SEO |
How to Find Uncredited Images
Reverse image search tools let you upload an image or paste its URL and see where else it appears. Google’s help centre describes the core use case:
“Use Google Lens to learn more about an image or the objects around you.”
— Google Search Help, Search with an image on Google
Use more than one tool, because each has its own index and none finds everything.
| Tool | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Lens (google.com, Chrome) | Broad coverage of pages and visually similar matches | Right-click an image in Chrome and choose Search with Google Lens, or upload a file on google.com |
| Bing Visual Search | A second large index with different results | Useful to catch matches Google misses |
| TinEye | Exact and edited copies, sorted by date or size | Good for tracking older reuse |
| Copyseeker | Finding exact duplicates | Listed by Semrush as an option that needs no login |
| Pixsy | Commercial misuse at scale | Aimed at creators who want to monitor and act on unlicensed use |
Semrush’s guide to reverse image search compares several of these tools in more depth. For large libraries, export a list of your most valuable images first (charts, hero images, product shots) rather than checking everything.
Step-by-Step: Turning Image Use Into Backlinks
- Build your image inventory. List original images you created or commissioned and own the rights to. Exclude stock photos and licensed assets.
- Run reverse image searches for each priority image in at least two tools. Record every page that uses it.
- Check for existing credit. Open each page and look for a link to your site near the image or in the source notes. Remove pages that already link.
- Qualify the sites. Skip scraper sites, spam blogs and image aggregators. Prioritise relevant sites with real traffic and an identifiable editor.
- Find the right contact. The article author or the site editor is better than a generic info address.
- Send a short, friendly credit request (template below) that names the page, the image and the exact credit you would like.
- Follow up once after a week. Backlinko’s 2019 outreach study found that a single follow-up was associated with noticeably more replies.
- Log results and re-check periodically that new links stay live.
Outreach template
Keep it human and short. Something like:
Subject: Image credit for your article on [topic]
Hi [Name],
Thanks for featuring our [chart/photo] of [subject] in your piece
"[Article title]". Great to see it being useful.
We created it at [Brand]. Would you mind adding a credit link to
the original source? For example: "Image: [Brand]" linking to
[URL of the original page].
Happy to send a higher-resolution version if that helps.
Thanks,
[Name]For more ideas on wording and follow-ups, see our guide to link building outreach emails.
Make Future Credits Easier
Prevention is cheaper than outreach. A few small changes make it more likely that people credit you without being asked:
- Add a visible credit line and embed code under charts and infographics, with a ready-made link people can copy.
- Use image license metadata. Google supports structured data and IPTC photo metadata for creator, credit and license details, and notes that “providing licensing information can make the image eligible for the Licensable badge” in Google Images.
- Host images on pages worth linking to, with descriptive file names and good alt text, so the original source is easy to find. Our guide to image SEO covers the basics.
- Publish a media or press page with downloadable images and a clear credit request.
- Lightly brand charts with a small logo or URL in the corner so the source is obvious.
Common Mistakes
- Claiming images you do not own. If you licensed a stock photo, the photographer or agency holds the rights, not you.
- Leading with legal threats. Copyright takedown requests remove images; they rarely produce links. Save formal action for clear commercial misuse and take proper legal advice.
- Asking for keyword-rich anchors. Ask for your brand name or “source” as the anchor. It looks natural and is what a credit should be.
- Wasting time on scraper sites. Auto-generated sites will not reply, and their links have little value.
- Asking for a link to your homepage when a better page exists. Point the credit at the page where the original image lives.
- Forgetting to track results. Add image credits to your link building KPIs so you know whether the tactic is worth repeating.
Related Guides
- Sponsorship Link Building: Earn Links by Supporting Your Community
- Testimonial Link Building: Easy Links From Your Vendors
- How to Get Your Brand Into “Best Of” Lists
Frequently Asked Questions
Is image link building white hat?
Yes. You are asking sites that already use your original work to credit the creator. You are not paying for the link, and the request is reasonable and optional.
What reverse image search tool is best?
There is no single best tool. Google Lens has broad coverage, while TinEye and Bing often surface different matches. Using two or three gives the most complete picture.
What anchor text should I ask for?
Your brand name or a simple source credit such as “Image: Brand Name”. Avoid asking for keyword-rich anchors.
Can I ask for a link if someone used my stock photo?
No. You only own credit for images you created or commissioned with rights. Stock photo rights belong to the photographer or agency.
Does image license metadata create backlinks?
Not directly. It shows creator and license information in Google Images, which helps people find and credit the original source.
Conclusion: Your Images Are Already Earning Attention
Every uncredited copy of your image is a site that has already endorsed your work. With a few reverse image searches, a qualified list and a polite credit request, you can turn that attention into relevant backlinks. Invest in original visuals, including strong product photography, make crediting easy, and check regularly. You can extend the same thinking to visual search with our guide to Google Lens SEO, and to supplier relationships with supplier and partner backlinks.
Want us to audit your image library for link opportunities? Our SEO team can help. Get a free quote.
