How to Find Websites Using Your Unsplash Photos (And Get Backlinks)
If you upload photos to Unsplash, Pexels, or Pixabay, you probably know the feeling: thousands of downloads, but almost zero credit. Your photos are out there on countless websites, but you have no idea which ones.
Here's the thing: every website using your photos is a potential backlink to your portfolio. And backlinks are one of the most valuable assets for building your online presence as a photographer.
Why Finding Photo Usage Matters
When someone downloads your stock photo and uses it on their website, you have an opportunity. Most of these sites are happy to credit the photographer when asked politely. They just don't think about it.
A single backlink from a high-quality website can:
- Boost your portfolio's search ranking
- Drive referral traffic to your work
- Build your reputation as a photographer
- Create networking opportunities
The problem? Finding these sites manually is nearly impossible. But the potential SEO impact makes it well worth the effort.
Method 1: Manual Searching
There are several ways to find websites using your photos, from browser-based image searches to specialized tools. Each has trade-offs in terms of time and completeness.
The core challenge: Manual methods are time-consuming and don't scale well. If you have 100+ photos, you're looking at hours of tedious work with incomplete results.
Method 2: Stock Platform Analytics
Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay provide some analytics, but they're limited:
- Unsplash: Shows total views and downloads
- Pexels: Provides download counts
- Pixabay: Tracks downloads per image
None of them tell you where your photos are being used. That's intentional: they want to make downloads easy without friction.
What to Do Once You Find a Site
Found a website using your photo without credit? Here's the professional approach:
1. Verify the Usage
Make sure they're actually using your photo, not a similar one. Check the image source in their HTML if you can.
2. Find the Right Contact
Look for: - An editor or content manager email - A general contact form - The author of the article using your photo
3. Send a Friendly Request
Don't be aggressive. Most people genuinely don't know they should credit stock photos. A simple, polite email works best (see our photo attribution guide for tested approaches):
Hi [Name],
I noticed you're using one of my photos in your article [title]. I'm glad you found it useful!
Would you mind adding a photo credit with a link to my portfolio? It really helps support my work as a photographer.
Thanks, [Your name]
4. Follow Up (Once)
If you don't hear back in a week, send one follow-up. After that, move on. Not every site will respond, and that's okay.
The Scale Problem
The real challenge isn't finding one or two sites. It's doing this systematically across your entire portfolio, regularly, without spending hours every week on manual searching.
That's exactly why we built Backlink Harvest. We automate the tedious parts so you can focus on what matters - getting your backlinks.
If you're tired of leaving backlinks on the table, join our waitlist to be first in line when we launch.
Key Takeaways
- Every download is a potential backlink opportunity
- Manual searching doesn't scale
- Always be polite when requesting attribution
- Automation is the only way to do this at scale
Start treating your stock photos as marketing assets, not just downloads. The backlinks are there. You just need to claim them.