Short answer
A useful image audit has three parts: inventory the images, identify source and license evidence, then prioritize risky files. The goal is not to prove everything automatically. The goal is to stop relying on memory, old agency emails, and file names that no one understands anymore.
When to run an audit
- Before launching a new website or redesign.
- Before handing a finished site to a client.
- When taking over a site from another agency or freelancer.
- After migrating a blog, ecommerce catalog, or media library.
- After receiving an image copyright demand letter.
Step 1: Build the image inventory
List the visible image, the page where it appears, the file URL, and the business context. Homepage and service-page images usually matter more than decorative icons. Blog headers and category banners are also common sources of inherited stock assets.
Step 2: Find license evidence
Look for purchase receipts, stock platform download records, agency deliverables, freelancer contracts, client-provided files, and internal photo-shoot records. If no one can explain where an image came from, treat it as unresolved until you can verify or replace it.
Step 3: Use automated checks to prioritize
ImgCompliance checks for stock-platform matches, reverse image search signals, metadata, and hosting clues. This helps you focus review time on images with stronger risk indicators instead of manually opening every media-library file first.
Step 4: Decide what to do
- Keep the image and store proof if the license is clear.
- Ask the agency, designer, editor, or stock-account owner for documentation.
- Replace the image when the source is unclear and the asset is not essential.
- Speak with an attorney if a demand letter or claim is already involved.
What ImgCompliance can and cannot do
ImgCompliance can help identify images that deserve review. It cannot access your private licensing accounts or decide whether a specific use is lawful. For an example of the output, see the sample report.
Related guides
If you need a narrower process, read how to find unlicensed images on your website or use the image licensing checklist.