Table of Contents
Photo sharing sites let you publish images with links back to your site, earning backlinks, referral traffic and visibility in image search. This list covers the best photo sharing sites and how to use them for SEO.
What are photo sharing sites?
Photo sharing sites are platforms where you upload and share images publicly. They give you a profile and image description links from a high authority domain, expose your visuals to new audiences, and can drive traffic through image search and curation.
Why photo sharing sites matter
- They earn backlinks from high authority image domains
- They drive referral traffic from visual audiences
- They boost visibility in image search
- They repurpose your visual content for reach
- Most are free to use
Best photo sharing sites
- Pinterest: Visual discovery with pin destination links (approx DA 94)
- Imgur: Massive image community (approx DA 93)
- Flickr: Classic photo sharing with profile links (approx DA 92)
- Behance: Adobe portfolio and project links (approx DA 92)
- Unsplash: Free photo platform with profile links (approx DA 91)
- Dribbble: Design focused image sharing (approx DA 91)
- DeviantArt: Large art and image community (approx DA 90)
- Pixabay: Free image sharing with profile links (approx DA 89)
- Photobucket: Long running image host (approx DA 84)
- SmugMug: Photographer portfolios (approx DA 80)
- We Heart It: Image curation community (approx DA 78)
- 500px: Photography community and portfolios (approx DA 86)
How to use photo sharing sites effectively
- Upload original, high quality images
- Add descriptive titles, tags and your link
- Link to a relevant page, not just the homepage
- Join relevant groups and boards
- Keep uploading to stay active
Best practices
- Use images you own or are licensed to share
- Add keyword aware descriptions and alt style text
- Watermark or brand your best visuals
- Avoid spammy, low value uploads
- Track which platforms drive traffic
For more link building tactics, browse our Sites List guides, and see Moz’s explainer on Domain Authority to understand the DA scores referenced above.
Photo sharing sites FAQ
Overall, the best photo sharing sites combine strong domain authority with genuine relevance to your niche and audience. Review the photo sharing sites listed above, shortlist the ones that fit your goals, and pair them with our social networking sites for backlinks guide to build a natural, diverse link profile.
Do photo sharing sites help SEO?
Yes. They provide backlinks from high authority domains, referral traffic and image search visibility, especially when your images are original and well described.
Are photo sharing backlinks dofollow?
It varies by platform. Some profile and description links are dofollow while others are nofollow, but both drive traffic and reach.
Which photo sharing site is best for backlinks?
Pinterest, Flickr and Behance are strong for links and traffic, though the best fit depends on your niche and visual style.
The bottom line
Photo sharing sites turn your visuals into backlinks, referral traffic and image search visibility. Upload original, well described images across the platforms above and link back to relevant pages.