If you have a photograph saved as a .gif file, it is likely you will get a better and a smaller image if you can resave the original as a .jpg file. You may be able to sacrifice a small amount of resolution for a much larger decrease in file size. This will generally decrease file sizes and loading time as well. You may have to play around with your images to obtain the best results with the least tradeoffs between image quality and file size. This limits the size of any one page and increases the speed of loading.
Animated graphics can be useful for grabbing someone's attention quickly.
However, keep in mind that this can also be distracting when someone has gone on to read other content on your page. There are ways to make graphics animate for just one or two sequences and then stop at a static image. It is important to consider whether your animated images add anything to the content of your page. If they don't, then find a static, non-moving graphic that does add something or don't use any graphics at all. As with all graphics, make sure your image maps are relevant to your content or the links you are adding to them.