3 Sources of Low-Cost or Copyright Free Content for Your Website

Struggling to create new content? Then consider these sources of low-cost or copyright free articles and content for your business.

It’s important for every entrepreneur to understand the importance of content as a marketing tool. Content is the backbone of the internet, powering virtually every successful online business.

Content drives traffic that converts into leads and sales, and content continues to attract search visitors even after your website’s pages have been archived.  If you're not creating enough content or creating it at a high quality, you're missing out on a major opportunity to sell your business, products, or services.

As a blogger, writer, and content creator it’s not always possible to create original content. From blog posts to social media updates to email newsletters, you probably rely on your own creativity, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with fresh ideas. This is especially true when you’re getting started and looking to build an audience.

Many people find themselves in this situation, which is why it pays to research low-cost sources of fresh content early on. You may have heard that it's impossible to find good quality content for your website. This isn't necessarily true, and there are several different ways you can find high-quality articles that you can adapt or use as they are.

There are lots of ways to get free content for your blog – some of which you may not even know about. If you’re about to start an online blog or business, it’s essential that you understand how to find content that you can use on your site without violating the rights of its original author.

There are steps you can take to ensure that your content is free from copyright restrictions, and in this post, we’ll run through how to go about using copyrighted and copyright free content legally.

Here are some of the best options to help you get web content from more established sources without breaking the bank on content creation…

#1 Copyright free articles

What is copyright free content?

High-quality, relevant content is essential for your website to succeed. Writing a great piece of content is just one step in a larger process.

Unfortunately, not all writers have the time to produce original content on a regular basis. When you are writing blog articles for example, you also need to ensure that your work does not contain any copyrighted material.

Plagiarism is a very serious issue in content marketing and one that can have major repercussions for your business if you are caught using copyrighted material.

If you need a low-cost and reliable source of content, then finding a good source of copyright-free articles, could be the answer.

However, there is always a misconception about the differences between copyright free, royalty free and private label rights content. A lot of business owners, bloggers, and content marketers think that they will be able to use copyright free content in any way they like. But is it really true?

The legal definition of copyright free content is – “content that can be freely copied, distributed and reused without the need to obtain permission from the copyright holder or to pay royalties”. This is because the creator of the work has assigned to the public domain and does not hold copyright. However, you may still need to credit the original content creator or author.

There are two types of copyright free content:

1. Creative Commons content

You can use Creative Commons content for free, however there are certain restrictions on usage. You need to follow the Creative Commons rules as follows:

• You cannot use this content without giving credit to the creator.
• You can't use the content for commercial purposes.
• If you want to change the content, you have to let other people use it with the same Creative Commons license as the original. You can't copyright any Creative Commons work you adapt, even if you radically change it.

2. Public Domain content

You can't go wrong when you use something that is in the Public Domain. These works are public domain, which means that they belong to us all and you can do anything with them. Anybody can use Public Domain content however they want, as long as they acknowledge that they're not the creators.

Public Domain content can be found here.

How do I get copyright free articles for my blog?

A common lament among online marketers is the lack of copyright free articles they can use; many companies don’t want to share or simply can’t afford to give away their content. Fortunately, there are plenty of options out there for sourcing copyright free content.

Here are four of the best copyright free article websites I've discovered to get free content for your blog:

• Copyright Free Content – NewsUSA is the premier provider of copyright free content for the web, print and radio. (copyrightfreecontent.com)
• Free Articles, Free Web Content, Reprint Articles – Find free reprint articles at the ArticlesFactory.com (articlesfactory.com)
• Free to Use and Reuse Sets  | Library of Congress – This portal features content that is free to use and reuse. (loc.gov)
• Wikimedia Commons – A collection of freely usable media files. (commons.wikimedia.org)

#2 Royalty free content

What is royalty free content?

Royalty free content is a special type of copyright license that allows a user to use a piece of media or a collection of images, artworks, or video clips for an initial fee – or sometimes free of charge. The user can then re-use the content without paying any additional fees. The term “royalty” is used here because you pay once for the rights to use the content whenever and wherever you want.

The media can be downloaded online and used in unlimited ways, including for commercial purposes. Royalty-free content is a huge boon for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Instead of paying every time you reuse a piece of content, you pay one time with no limits on how often you can reuse it. It’s a great way to save money and maximize your marketing budget.

If you’re looking to boost your website, adding royalty-free content from a reputable provider can be a great way to do that quickly and effectively. With this kind of content, you don’t have to worry about copyright infringement or people trying to sue you for using their ideas or images without permission.

If you’re looking for some inexpensive content that can be used for your site or marketing campaign, then royalty free content is one way to go. Here's another highly recommended source of low-cost content for your website and social media:

#3 Private Label Rights (PLR) Content

Is royalty free content the same as PLR content?

There’s a lot of confusion about what royalty free content is and whether it’s the same as PLR content. So, let’s clarify: royalty free content and private label rights (PLR) content are not the same thing. With royalty free content, you’re paying for the right to use the content without paying royalties or fees every time you use the content. With royalty free content you can’t change it; Whereas with PLR, you’re purchasing the license to use content that is pre-written in any way you like, including rewriting or editing it.

Essentially, PLR, or Private Label Rights, is the online content model that allows you to repurpose content written by other people.

The Private Label Rights license gives you the ability to purchase pre-written content (blog articles, e-books, courses, etc.) in an instantly available digital format. This content can be re-edited, re-branded and redistributed as your own unique content. The unique selling point of PLR content is that it saves time and money by allowing you to create quality content without having to write it from scratch.

PLR is content that is ready to be used, modified, monetized, and shared. It’s an amazing way to pump up your website and social media with quality content without spending hours writing it yourself. Check out the pros and cons of Private Label Rights (PLR) Content.

As long as you follow the repurposing or customization rules for any given piece of PLR content, you’re free to do with it as you please. This includes rewriting it into your own words, editing the content to replace the writers’ brand with your own brand, or even deleting parts of the content altogether if you don’t want to use it.

If you’re serious about creating valuable content for marketing purposes, you should. Simple, straightforward, and valuable, PLR is a powerful tool in your kit. It comes in the form of articles, videos, tutorials, e-books, checklists, tools, cheat sheets, training courses, and even whole websites.