I had few sites from era when I had very bad design taste... But surprisingly ads do very well on these sites.
I believe, that as long as users _needs_ (vs. _might_ need) what your business offers through this site, design does not matter as long as it is readable and usable.
But for new businesses design might be crucial. Usually you have only few seconds of visitor's attention and you have to fully utilize it. Design is one of the tool to get a bit more attention nad may be convert new user. But it do nothing for existing users IMHO.
I had few sites from era when I had very bad design taste... But surprisingly ads do very well on these sites.
I believe, that as long as users _needs_ (vs. _might_ need) what your business offers through this site, design does not matter as long as it is readable and usable.
But for new businesses design might be crucial. Usually you have only few seconds of visitor's attention and you have to fully utilize it. Design is one of the tool to get a bit more attention nad may be convert new user. But it do nothing for existing users IMHO.