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Image Backlinks: How to Get Links From Images

BacklinkScan Teamon Dec 22, 2025
28 min read

Image backlinks are a powerful but often underused way to grow your authority, drive organic traffic, and diversify your link profile. When you create unique visuals—like infographics, graphs, product photos, or data-driven images—and others reuse them, you can earn links from images through proper attribution, reverse image search, and smart outreach.

In this guide, you’ll learn how image link building really works, which types of visuals attract the most links, and how to find uncredited uses of your images. You’ll also see practical outreach examples, tools you can use to track image usage, and ethical guidelines to follow so you can safely scale image backlinks.

Image backlinks are links you earn when another site uses one of your images and credits you with a clickable link. That link might sit under the image, in a caption, or be wrapped around the image itself.

They matter for SEO for two main reasons:

  1. They can pass link equity just like normal backlinks, which can help your pages rank better in Google.
  2. They increase visibility in Google Images, because Google uses surrounding context and linking patterns to understand and rank images.

When image backlinks are set up correctly, they act as both a traditional backlink and a signal that your visual content is useful and trustworthy.

How image backlinks work differently from text links

With a text link, Google mainly relies on the anchor text and surrounding copy to understand what the linked page is about. With an image backlink, Google has to work harder.

For an image link, Google looks at:

  • The alt attribute of the image, which it explicitly uses as anchor text when the image is a link.
  • The page content around the image, including captions and headings.
  • The image file itself, using computer vision to recognize objects and topics.

Because of this, image backlinks are often a bit weaker than clear, descriptive text links. If the image has no alt text or the context is vague, Google gets far less information than it would from a well‑written text anchor.

Still, when the image is relevant, has descriptive alt text, and sits on a high‑quality page, the backlink can work very similarly to a standard link.

Yes. When an image is clickable and links to your site, that hyperlink can pass PageRank, just like any other HTML link, as long as it is:

  • Crawlable (not blocked by robots.txt or JavaScript issues)
  • Not marked with attributes that prevent passing equity (such as a strict nofollow or a meta robots nofollow on the page)

Google has confirmed that alt text is used as anchor text when an image is a link, which means image backlinks can contribute both authority (through PageRank) and relevance (through the alt text and context).

In practice, SEOs often see image backlinks behave like slightly “noisier” versions of text links. A strong, relevant text backlink is usually more powerful, but a cluster of good image backlinks from real pages can still move the needle for both page rankings and image search visibility.

Not every image link is the same, and the SEO value depends on how the image is used and credited.

1. Hotlinks (direct image source links) A hotlink is when another site loads your image directly from your server using the image URL, but does not link back to a page on your site. For example, they use https://yoursite.com/images/chart.png as the src but give no clickable credit.

  • This may send you bandwidth, but it usually does not help SEO much, because the link points to the file, not to a meaningful page, and often has no anchor context or crawlable HTML link to your content.

2. Attributions with a text link Here, a site uses your image and adds a visible credit like “Image source: Your Brand” with a clickable text link to your page.

  • This is usually the best type of image backlink: clear anchor text, good surrounding context, and a normal HTML link that can pass PageRank.

3. Image embeds wrapped in a link Sometimes the image itself is clickable and links to your site, with or without a separate text credit. For example:

  • The image is inside an <a> tag that points to your page.
  • The alt text describes the image or topic.

When done this way, the image embed acts as a standard backlink, with the alt text functioning as anchor text. If the embed uses rel="nofollow" or similar attributes, it may still send referral traffic and brand exposure, but it will pass little or no ranking signal.

Understanding these patterns helps you spot which image uses are worth pursuing for SEO and which are just uncredited hotlinks that might need a different approach.

Original photos and branded photography

Original photos and branded photography attract backlinks because they give other sites something they cannot get from a stock library: unique, specific visuals. High‑quality shots of people, workplaces, events, or behind‑the‑scenes processes are especially link‑worthy, because journalists, bloggers, and niche publishers often need “real” images to illustrate stories.

For brands, a small library of professional photos (team, office, product in use, lifestyle scenes) can earn natural links from interviews, case studies, conference recaps, and news coverage that reuse those images and credit the source. The key is originality, clear composition, and relevance to a topic people actually write about, not just “pretty pictures.”

Infographics and data visualizations

Infographics and data visualizations are still some of the strongest image formats for earning natural backlinks. They condense complex information into a single, shareable visual that writers can drop into their own content to explain a concept or support a point.

Data‑rich, focused infographics tend to perform best: think “remote work statistics in 2025” rather than a generic “SEO tips” poster. When the data is original or hard to replicate, publishers are far more likely to embed the graphic and link back as the source.

Charts, graphs, and statistics screenshots

Simple charts and graphs often attract links even faster than full infographics. Writers constantly need a clean bar chart, line graph, or pie chart to show a trend, benchmark, or comparison. If your chart clearly answers a question like “How fast is this market growing?” or “What percentage of users prefer X vs Y?”, it becomes a natural citation target.

Screenshots of statistics dashboards or tools can also earn backlinks when they show unique data or a process that others want to reference. Just make sure the numbers are clearly labeled, easy to read, and tied to a trustworthy explanation on the page.

Custom illustrations, icons, and diagrams

Custom illustrations, icons, and diagrams work well when they explain ideas rather than just decorate a page. Concept diagrams (frameworks, funnels, step‑by‑step flows, models) are especially powerful, because other creators will reuse them to teach the same concept and credit you as the origin.

Stylized icons and character illustrations can also pick up links if they become recognizable in a niche, but the biggest wins usually come from visuals that clarify something hard to describe in text: how a system works, how a strategy flows, or how different elements connect.

Product photos, maps, and location images

High‑quality product photos are natural backlink magnets in ecommerce and review‑heavy niches. Bloggers, affiliates, and comparison sites often grab the best available image of a product and link back to the original source. Clear lighting, multiple angles, and true‑to‑life color all increase the chance your product image becomes the “default” one people use.

Maps and location images attract links in travel, local, and data‑driven content. Custom maps that visualize routes, regional differences, or geographic patterns are frequently embedded by journalists and bloggers. Likewise, strong location photos of landmarks, neighborhoods, or venues can earn credits from tourism sites, local guides, and news stories that need a specific place illustrated.

Choosing the right page to host your image asset

For image backlinks to help your SEO, the image must live on a page that deserves to rank. Host important visuals on pages that are already relevant, crawlable, and internally linked, not on an orphaned “/media” URL with no content.

Place your best image assets on:

  • In‑depth guides or blog posts that target a clear keyword
  • Category or hub pages that summarize a topic
  • Product or service pages where the image directly supports the offer

Surround the image with strong on‑page signals: a descriptive H1, related subheadings, body copy that matches the image topic, and internal links pointing to that page. This way, when other sites embed your image and link back, the authority flows into a page that can actually rank and convert.

If you need to reuse the same asset across multiple pages, pick one “canonical” image URL and embed that version everywhere. This consolidates signals instead of splitting them across duplicates.

Image file names, alt text, and captions that reinforce context

Search engines still rely heavily on text around an image. Give them clear, consistent clues.

  • File names: Rename images before upload using short, descriptive, hyphen‑separated names, like solar-panel-rooftop-installation.jpg instead of IMG_4839.jpg. Keep them accurate and avoid keyword stuffing.
  • Alt text: Write concise, literal descriptions that match both the image and the page topic, for example: alt="technician installing solar panels on a suburban home roof". Include a primary keyword only if it fits naturally. Skip “image of” or “picture of” and leave alt empty for purely decorative graphics.
  • Captions: Use captions when the image is central to the content, such as charts, diagrams, or key photos. A short caption can restate the main point or data, reinforcing relevance and giving more context for both users and crawlers.

Together, these elements help search engines understand why your image is being linked to and which queries it should support.

On‑image branding helps you keep credit when images are copied, but it should not make the graphic ugly or unreadable. Aim for subtle, professional branding:

  • Place a small logo or site name in a corner with enough contrast to be legible but not distracting.
  • Use semi‑transparent watermarks on photos where misuse is a concern, but keep them light so the subject is still clear.
  • For infographics and charts, add a footer line like “Source: YourBrand.com” rather than a giant watermark across the center.

The goal is to make it obvious who created the image if it is reused, while still encouraging people to embed it. Over‑aggressive watermarks often push publishers to crop or recreate your graphic, which means you lose the backlink opportunity.

If you want people to share your visuals and give you a backlink by default, provide a ready‑made embed code next to the image. This lowers friction and standardizes how others credit you.

A simple embed pattern is:

  • An <img> tag that points to the hosted image URL on your domain
  • Wrapped in an <a> tag that links to the page where the image lives
  • Optional small text credit below, like “Embed this graphic on your site (please keep the credit link).”

For example, your embed code can link back with branded anchor text such as “Source: Your Brand” or a descriptive phrase like “full solar panel installation guide.” Avoid over‑optimized, spammy anchors; you want the link to look natural on other sites.

By combining a well‑chosen host page, clean metadata, user‑friendly branding, and copy‑paste embed codes, you turn every reuse of your image into a consistent, SEO‑friendly backlink that actually benefits your site.

Start by building a list of pages that already feature your visuals. Reverse image search tools let you upload an image or paste its URL, then scan the web for exact and modified copies. Google Images, TinEye, and similar services are built for this: they create a fingerprint of your file and match it against indexed images, even when it is resized, cropped, or slightly edited.

Work through your most link‑worthy assets first: infographics, charts, product photos, and unique illustrations. For each image, run a reverse search and export or copy the list of matching pages into a simple spreadsheet with columns for URL, domain, contact status, and outcome. This becomes your outreach pipeline.

If you publish a lot of visuals, consider tools that monitor image reuse automatically and alert you when new copies appear. They save time compared with manual searches and make ongoing image backlink campaigns realistic at scale.

Check for missing or weak attributions

Once you have a list of pages using your images, open each one and check:

  1. Is there any credit at all?
  2. If yes, does it link to the right place?

Common issues include:

  • No credit or mention of your brand.
  • A plain text credit with no hyperlink.
  • A link pointing directly to the image file (for example, a .jpg URL) instead of the page that hosts the image.
  • A nofollow link in a context where a followed editorial link would be reasonable.

From an SEO point of view, links to the image file pass little or no value compared with a contextual link to a relevant page. Modern link building guides specifically recommend finding these “improper attributions” and asking webmasters to update them so they point to your content page instead.

Tag each URL in your sheet as: “no credit,” “weak credit,” or “good credit.” You will only reach out to the first two groups.

Not every image use is worth chasing. Focus your time where a backlink will actually help:

  • Authority and relevance: Prioritize sites with solid organic traffic and topical overlap with your niche. A contextual link from a relevant article is far more valuable than a credit on a thin directory page.
  • Placement quality: Give extra weight to uses where your image sits inside a useful article, guide, or case study, especially if it is central to the explanation.
  • Commercial and legal risk: If a site is clearly spammy, deceptive, or using your work in a way that harms your brand, you may prefer a takedown request instead of a link request.

Sort your spreadsheet by domain quality and relevance, then work from the top down. This keeps your outreach focused and avoids wasting effort on low‑value or risky placements.

Your goal is to turn uncredited or weakly credited image use into a friendly, low‑friction link opportunity. Keep emails short, polite, and specific. Here are adaptable templates you can use.

1. For completely uncredited use

Subject: Quick note about the [image type] in your [article title]

Hi [Name],

I was reading your article on [topic] and noticed you used a [brief description of image, e.g., “blue conversion funnel graphic”] that I originally created for [your site/brand].

I am glad you found it useful. Would you mind adding a credit link back to the original source here: [your preferred URL]?

A simple line like “Image source: [Brand]” with that link would be perfect.

Thanks a lot for your time, [Your name]

2. For weak attributions or direct image file links

Subject: Small credit tweak for your [image type]

Hi [Name],

Thanks for featuring my [image type] in your piece on [topic]. I noticed the credit currently links to the image file rather than the article where it appears on my site.

Would you be open to updating the link to point to this page instead: [your preferred URL]? It gives your readers more context and helps keep everything properly attributed.

Really appreciate it, [Your name]

3. For follow‑up after no response

Subject: Following up on image credit for your [article title]

Hi [Name],

Just a quick follow‑up on my note about the [image type] in your article on [topic].

If it helps, here is the exact credit you can paste in:

“Image source: [Brand]” linking to [your preferred URL].

Let me know if you would prefer I provide an updated version of the image or different sizing.

Best, [Your name]

Keep the tone cooperative, not confrontational. Most editors are happy to add or fix a link when you make it easy, and over time these small wins add up to a strong set of image backlinks.

Researching topics and data worth visualizing

Start with topics that already attract links. Look for articles in your niche that rely on stats, complex explanations, or long text sections. These are prime candidates for visuals that make the same ideas easier to grasp.

Use keyword tools and search results to spot questions people ask often, then check which of those pages lack strong visuals. Data-heavy themes, “how it works” processes, timelines, and comparisons are especially good for image backlinks because writers love to embed charts and diagrams instead of recreating them from scratch.

Whenever possible, base visuals on original data from your own surveys, product usage, or internal reports. Unique numbers are far more link‑worthy than recycled stats, and they give other sites a clear reason to cite you as the source.

Creating link‑worthy infographics and graphics (even without a designer)

You do not need advanced design skills to create link‑worthy infographics. Use simple layouts: a clear title, short sections, and plenty of white space. Stick to 2–3 brand colors and one or two easy‑to‑read fonts.

Focus on clarity over decoration. Each graphic should answer one main question or tell one short story. Use icons, arrows, and simple shapes to guide the eye from top to bottom. Always include your logo and URL in a subtle corner so people can still credit you even if the image is copied without context.

Before publishing, test readability on mobile. If text is tiny on a phone screen, split the visual into a short series instead of one huge image.

Publishing image libraries and "free to use with credit" galleries

A public image library makes it easy for bloggers and journalists to discover and reuse your visuals. Create a simple gallery page that groups images by topic, such as “remote work stats,” “email marketing benchmarks,” or “local hiking maps.”

For each asset, add:

  • A short description of what the image shows
  • A download button in at least one high‑quality format
  • A clear “free to use with credit” note plus the exact link text you prefer

Spell out the rules in plain language: for example, free for editorial use with a do‑follow credit link to a specific URL, no resale or inclusion in templates. The easier you make it to understand and comply, the more people will actually link.

Promoting your visuals on social, communities, and image platforms

Publishing is only half the job. To earn image backlinks, you need people who create content to actually see your visuals. Share them on social platforms where your audience hangs out, but tailor the format: carousels for professional networks, tall images for visual discovery platforms, and short clips or crops for fast‑moving feeds.

In niche communities and forums, lead with the value, not the link. Start a discussion, answer a question, or share a useful insight, then include your visual as a helpful resource. Many members run blogs or newsletters and will later embed your image with a credit.

Finally, upload your best visuals to major image and infographic platforms with a descriptive title, tags, and a source link. Over time, these placements can send a steady trickle of natural image backlinks from people who discover and reuse your work.

Image directories and visual communities can expose your graphics to thousands of publishers who are constantly looking for something to illustrate their content. Used well, they will not only send referral traffic but also generate natural image backlinks when people embed your visuals and credit your site.

Submitting infographics to niche and general directories

Infographic directories still work best when you treat them as discovery channels, not as pure link farms. Focus on a small set of reputable, active directories in your niche or industry, rather than blasting the same graphic to every low‑quality site you can find.

When you submit, pay attention to three things:

  1. Context page Always include a short, clear description and a link back to the original article or resource on your site, not just your homepage. This gives search engines and editors a strong topical signal.

  2. Embed code Many directories let you add an embed code. Make sure it includes:

  • the image URL hosted on your domain
  • a followed credit link with descriptive anchor text (for example, “full study on remote work statistics” instead of “click here”).
  1. Relevance and quality Choose directories that actually feature your topic and have real human curation. A single placement on a well‑maintained marketing, health, or tech gallery is worth more than dozens of spammy submissions that never send traffic or earn secondary links.

Sharing images on Pinterest and other visual discovery platforms

Visual discovery platforms are powerful for getting your images in front of bloggers, journalists, and content creators who later embed them on their own sites. Even if most links from these platforms are nofollow, they can still spark organic backlinks when people click through, save your graphic, and reuse it with attribution.

Treat each image as a mini landing page:

  • Use vertical, high‑contrast designs that are easy to scan on mobile feeds.
  • Write keyword‑rich but natural titles and descriptions that explain what the image shows and who it is for.
  • Link each pin or post to the most relevant page on your site, ideally the article or resource that explains the data behind the visual.
  • Group related images into themed boards or collections so people exploring a topic can discover several of your assets at once.

Consistency matters more than volume. A steady stream of useful infographics, charts, and how‑to visuals will keep sending referral traffic and create more chances for others to link back to you from their own domains.

Uploading your images to free or “stock‑style” libraries can be a smart way to earn image backlinks, but only if you are clear about your goals and licensing.

This approach works best when:

  • You have branded but broadly useful visuals, such as generic office scenes, lifestyle shots, or simple illustrations that many sites might want to use.
  • You allow free use with attribution, either through the platform’s built‑in credit field or by adding a subtle on‑image credit and a request for a link in the description.
  • You are comfortable trading exclusivity for reach. Once a photo is in a popular free library, it may appear on hundreds of sites, often with mixed levels of credit.

To avoid problems, read the licensing terms carefully and make sure they do not prevent you from asking for attribution or linking back to your own site. Track where your most downloaded images appear, then follow up with polite outreach when you find uncredited uses. Over time, a handful of widely distributed, well‑branded images can turn these platforms into a steady, semi‑passive source of new backlinks.

Using image search operators to find placement opportunities

Image search operators let you go beyond basic reverse image search and actively hunt for new placement opportunities. Start in Google Images with queries that combine your topic and file type, such as:

  • "[your topic]" filetype:png
  • "[keyword] infographic", "[keyword] chart", or "[keyword] map

Then switch to the “Images” tab and look at which sites already use visuals on that topic. These pages are strong prospects for your own images, because they have already shown they like visual content.

You can also search for competitors’ images. Grab the URL of a popular infographic or chart, plug it into Google Images’ “search by image,” and export the list of pages that use it. Those sites are ideal targets for outreach: they already link to a similar visual, so you can pitch a fresher, better designed alternative.

Refine your prospect list by focusing on pages that still get traffic and have decent authority. That way, each successful image placement has a real chance to send referral visitors and pass meaningful link equity.

Replacing broken or outdated visuals with your images

Replacing broken or outdated visuals is the image‑first version of broken link building and the “Moving Man” method. The goal is simple: find pages where the current image is missing, low quality, or clearly out of date, then offer your own visual as the fix.

Look for:

  • Posts with empty image containers or “image not found” icons.
  • Articles that reference old years in the graphic itself, like “Social media stats 2019.”
  • Infographics that are hard to read on mobile or use tiny text.

Once you spot a weak visual, create or adapt an image that covers the same topic but with current data, clearer design, and proper branding. Host it on a relevant page on your site, then email the publisher.

Keep the pitch short: point out the issue (“your infographic stops at 2021”), link to your updated visual, and explain how swapping it in improves their content. Because you are solving a problem instead of just asking for a favor, your success rate is usually higher than with generic link outreach.

Turning data studies and reports into link‑magnet visuals

Raw data and long reports rarely earn links on their own, but they can become link‑magnet visuals when you translate the key findings into images. Start with a data source that others in your niche care about: your own survey, anonymized product data, or a synthesis of public statistics.

Then design a small set of visuals instead of one giant graphic:

  • A summary infographic with the headline insight and 3–5 standout stats.
  • Individual charts or graphs for your most quotable numbers.
  • Simple social‑friendly cards that highlight one key data point each.

Publish the full study on your site and embed the visuals throughout the page. In your outreach, pitch the data first and the images second: journalists, bloggers, and newsletter writers want credible numbers they can reference, and the ready‑made charts make it easy for them to include and credit you.

Over time, these data‑driven visuals can become evergreen assets. As long as you refresh the numbers on a clear schedule and keep the design clean, other sites will keep discovering, embedding, and linking to your images whenever they cover that topic.

To track image backlink campaigns, start by making sure your SEO tools are actually picking up image-based links. Most major platforms let you filter backlinks by link type or anchor text. Look for links where the anchor is an image, or where the link is flagged as an image/redirect from an image URL.

Export these image backlinks regularly and group them by:

  • Target page on your site (where the image lives)
  • Referring domain
  • Image file path or filename

This makes it easier to see which visuals are attracting links and which ones are being ignored. Combine this with data from image search (for example, checking how often your images appear in image results) to understand which assets are driving both visibility and backlinks.

Setting alerts for new image uses and attributions

You do not want to discover uncredited image use months later. Set up alerts that trigger when:

  • New backlinks appear that use your image URLs.
  • Your brand name or image credit line is mentioned on new pages.

You can also use reverse image search tools on a schedule. Save your key image URLs or upload files and run recurring checks to find new uses that do not link back. When you find fresh placements, log whether they already include a proper attribution link or need outreach.

Not every image backlink is worth celebrating. Judge each link with the same standards you would use for text links:

  • Relevance: Is the page topically related to your content or industry?
  • Authority and trust: Does the site have real traffic, rankings, and a clean history?
  • Placement: Is the image embedded in the main content, or buried in a footer, widget, or scraped gallery?
  • Link attributes: Check for nofollow, sponsored, or UGC tags. Nofollow image links can still be useful for visibility and referral traffic, but they are weaker for rankings.

Score links in a simple way (for example, 1–3 for relevance, authority, and placement) so you can quickly see which images are attracting high‑value links and which are mostly feeding low‑quality galleries.

To scale image backlink campaigns, treat them like a system, not a one‑off stunt. A simple workflow might look like this:

  1. Create and publish: Add new visual assets on well‑chosen pages, with clear credit text and preferred link format.
  2. Promote: Share those images where your audience and publishers actually are, such as industry communities or visual platforms.
  3. Track: Every month, pull a fresh image backlink report, update your tracking sheet, and tag new referring domains.
  4. Audit and outreach: Review new image uses, flag missing or weak attributions, and send outreach emails in batches.
  5. Review performance: Identify which image types, topics, and pages generate the best links, then prioritize creating more of those.

By following the same steps on a fixed schedule, you turn image link building into a predictable, measurable channel instead of a lucky accident.

Over‑aggressive watermarking and hard‑to‑use licensing

Heavy, center‑screen watermarks and confusing licensing scare away exactly the publishers who might have linked to you. Google has confirmed that watermarks alone do not directly hurt rankings, but distracting overlays can reduce click‑through from image search and make your images less appealing at thumbnail size.

Aim for subtle, semi‑transparent branding that protects your work without blocking key details. Test how your images look at small sizes and on mobile. If the watermark makes the subject hard to see, tone it down.

Licensing should be just as user friendly. If people have to read a legal essay to know whether they can embed your image, most will skip it. A simple line like “Free to use with credit and link to [your site]” plus a clear usage page is usually enough.

Submitting infographics or photos to image directories can help discovery, but as a standalone strategy it is weak. Many directories have low editorial standards, thin content, and little real audience. Links from these sites often carry limited authority and can look unnatural if they dominate your profile.

Treat directories as a side channel, not the main engine. Focus most effort on earning contextual image backlinks from relevant articles, reports, and resource pages where your visual actually adds value.

Unlicensed image use cuts both ways. If you reuse others’ visuals without permission, you risk DMCA takedowns, removal of your content from search, and damage to your site’s trust.

On the flip side, some people now send fake “copyright” emails that demand you add a credit link instead of filing a real DMCA notice. Their goal is to force a backlink, not protect rights. You are not required to link in response to these messages; if a claim is legitimate, it will usually come as a proper DMCA request, not a vague demand for a citation link.

Also watch for spammy image backlinks from scraped sites, spun galleries, or hacked pages. A few low‑quality links are normal, but if a pattern appears, disavowing them can help keep your profile clean.

Not every potential image backlink deserves your time. Chasing credit from tiny, off‑topic, or obviously spammy sites rarely moves the needle and can drag you into pointless email threads.

As a rule of thumb, it is usually not worth pursuing a link when:

  • The site has no real content or traffic, or is clearly auto‑generated.
  • The page is unrelated to your niche, so the link would be off‑topic.
  • The domain is packed with ads, malware warnings, or other red flags.

Instead, prioritize outreach to reputable, relevant sites where a proper image attribution link will actually help your authority and send qualified visitors. Over time, this selective approach builds a healthier backlink profile and keeps your image SEO efforts focused on what truly matters.