Images make your WordPress website engaging, professional, and shareable. But using the wrong image – one you don’t have the rights to – can lead to serious trouble, as we discussed in our post about the hidden risks of image copyright. Ideally, you want to use images safely, but how can you be sure about the ones already on your site?

Starting Fresh? The “Easy” Way

If you’re just starting your blog or website, you’re in the best position! The simplest way to avoid future headaches is to be diligent from day one:

1. Use Your Own Photos/Graphics: Content you create yourself (Own Content) is generally safe.
2. Reputable Free Stock Sites: Use well-known sites like Pexels, Unsplash, or Pixabay. Crucially, check their license terms – even free sites have rules! [Link to Future Post Comparing Stock Sites]
3. Paid Stock Sites: Purchase images from legitimate stock photo sites (like Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, etc.). Always keep the invoice and the license agreement associated with the image.
4. Track Your Sources: You can use a tool like our Image CopyRight Checker plugin to tag each image’s origin (‘Own Content’, ‘Purchased’, ‘Royalty Free’) right within your Media Library.

The Real Challenge: Your Existing Image Library 🤯

But what if your WordPress site has been around for years? What if you have hundreds, or even thousands, of images uploaded over time? Maybe different authors contributed content, sources weren’t tracked, or you simply grabbed images quickly back when you didn’t know better.

Going back through every single image manually feels overwhelming, right? How can you possibly check your entire existing Media Library for potential copyright bombs?

Why You NEED to Check Old Images

• Copyright Doesn’t Expire Quickly: Copyright protection lasts for a very long time (often the creator’s life + 70 years). An image uploaded 5 years ago can still cause problems today.
• Automated Scanning: Copyright holders and agencies use automated tools to scan the web constantly for unauthorized use. They will find infringing images, even on older posts.
• Peace of Mind: Cleaning up your library now prevents nasty surprises (like demand letters for thousands of euros) later.

How to Tackle Your Existing Media Library:

Okay, manually checking thousands of images is unrealistic for most people. Here’s a more manageable approach, leveraging tools:

Step 1: Prioritize Your Images

You don’t need to check everything at once. Start with the highest-risk areas:

• Images on your homepage, landing pages, and most popular blog posts/pages.
• Images used in ads or prominent marketing materials.
• Images that look professional or like typical stock photos, where you can’t remember the source.

Step 2: Understand Manual Checking (and its limits)

You can try manual reverse image searches using tools like Google Images or TinEye for your priority images (as discussed here). This involves uploading your image or pasting its URL to see where else it appears online.

• Pros: It’s free.
• Cons: Incredibly time-consuming if you have many images. Interpreting the results can be difficult – just because it appears elsewhere doesn’t mean your use is infringing, or that you’ve found the original source/license holder.

Step 3: Use an Integrated WordPress Tool

This is where a dedicated plugin becomes invaluable. Instead of checking images one by one externally, you need something that works within your Media Library.

Our plugin, Image CopyRight Checker, is designed for this:

• Connects to Google Vision API: It uses the powerful Web Detection feature to perform the reverse image search for images directly from your library.
• Analyzes Sources: It receives the list of places Google found the image.
• Assigns Risk Levels: Based on whether the sources are known paid sites, free sites, contain copyright keywords, etc., it assigns a risk level (VERY HIGH, HIGH, UNCERTAIN, LOW).
• Filters Your Library: Crucially, it adds filters to your Media Library, allowing you to instantly see all images marked as HIGH or UNCERTAIN risk. This lets you focus your attention where it’s needed most!

Step 4: Review High/Uncertain Images & Take Action

Once the plugin has analyzed your images (you can do this individually or use the Bulk Action in the Pro version to analyze many images in the background), use the filters:

• Filter for VERY HIGH / HIGH: These need immediate attention. Try to find proof of a valid license (e.g., the invoice from the stock site). If you can’t, replace the image with a safely sourced one immediately.
• Filter for UNCERTAIN: These require investigation. Click “Edit” on the image and look at the “Details” and the list of sources found in the Image CopyRight Checker metabox. Can you identify the original source? Is it a paid site? A free site with specific rules? If unsure after checking, it’s safest to replace it. [Link to Future Post on Interpreting Results]
• Update Origin: Once you verify an image’s status, update its “Origin” field in the metabox (e.g., change ‘Pending Check’ to ‘Purchased’ or ‘Royalty Free’).

Stop Worrying, Start Checking!

Don’t let the fear of copyright issues paralyze you or, worse, wait until you receive a demand letter. While checking a large existing library takes effort, breaking it down and using the right tools makes it manageable.

Image CopyRight Checker provides the integration with Google Vision API and the filtering tools you need to efficiently assess risk within your WordPress Media Library.

➡️ Learn more and take control of your image copyrights with Image CopyRight Checker! ✅🛡️