The proper use of web page images can enhance a site to the point that users are instantly convinced that a site is credible. On the other hand, improper use suggests amateurism and incompetence.
In order for images to work they have to show up. If you have broken images on your site either fix them or remove them. They are harming your site a great deal. Broken images tell users you don't care about your site so why should they? Add an image only if you plan on it being accessible for awhile.
Everyone wants a site that looks great, right? Having awesome images will help. Even better is having awesome images that download quickly. Have you ever been to a page that took along time to download? Did you hang around to see how long it would take? Only if a user MUST access the content will they hang around. If there are potentially hundreds or thousands of other sites with similar information they will leave. They won't even get to see your awesome site unless it downloads within their patience threshold (usually 6-8 seconds). Optimize your images to download quickly. There is a constant juggle with load times versus great quality. If all users had fast internet connections this wouldn't be an issue but there will always be a group who can't afford or won't upgrade to a quick connection. We have to give up a little bit in quality and maybe a small amount of pixilation to retain potential users.
One exception to this rule is if the majority of your site will download, including content, while some less-important image takes a little extra time. Users will be able to get what they need and the less important image will show up later. Make sure, though, that the structure of the page and the key images load quickly.
Images shouldn't be much larger than 30-40k for the most part. If you have a 40k image on a page don't have another one that size or bigger. In fact, now a days some gurus say your images should account for no more than 40-60k or so total on any given page. Try to keep them small. Use your image editor to manage the size vs. quality. If the image becomes too pixilated at lower qualities and it is indispensable then optimize it be as small as possible while maintaining its quality. Keep in mind one image cut into 5 parts requires more load time over keeping all the images as one.
An 800x600 screen resolution was once a defacto standard for websites. Today, we see many more developed for 1024x768 screen resolutions. It's important to understand your audience and their technology capabilities. Most audiences today are prepared for larger dimentions.
Great image usage makes a web site very professional. It instills trust in someone with high standards. It shows that the creator cares about their own image and suggests the same type of service when marketing a home. Users want professionals to present well so they can enjoy their home buying/selling process.
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