is asmallorange.com any good?..

Hey, that is pretty cool Pheonix! Very creative stuff, I particularly like the the page jump javascript prompt. Nice layout and design.

99% of the users on the internet think like you and I that content is king. Then you have the other 1% and some of them are here and some of them are also designers that look past the content if the style isn't flashy.
Each to his own.

Of course content is king and in the end that's what it all boils down to. However in the hosting trade an aesthetically-pleasing site can convey professionalism and trust to the user. Design should not be overlooked in the main schema of things as it often can be the difference between a sale and a user going away and looking for someone else.

LOL.. tell me I didn't have that coming ;) I have just decided to start using the Admin Silver template, I have developers working on a new logo and hopefully by tomorrow it will be ready.

This isn't really my 2 cents worth, more like 1 cent, but has anybody considered that those who post here are board admins, all with differing experience and skill levels? The layperson who visits our boards typically doesn't know what makes a board good or not. Community is a separate entity from the board that hosts it. Just a comment to keep in mind.

:)

Alrighty.

You are all very correct in saying that a non-custom looking site isn't as good as a custom one.

How does this look? http://www.sparklehosting.com/?styleid=25

I agree with what everyone has said thus far ...
- Content is King
- Redo Logo
- Site design lacks professionalism

It is true that the majority of people go to a site for content ... this is usually true for users who have been to your site before or users that are redirected to a page via search engines (who are looking for something specific).

For new users ... or, users who just comes across your site .. you need to grab them in the first 1-3 seconds.

The way to grab attention is to:

1. use a good design
2. use proper heading/style to bring focus
3. use the AIDA principles when writing your content....
   • ATTENTION - Grab the users attention right away.
   • INTEREST - Interest customers on benefits not on features. Tell the user how they can better their life with your service.
   • DESIRE - Make your offer irrisistable.
   • ACTION - Make it easy for the customer to contact you -- place all necessary information up front and visible.

FYI
The upper half of your site is the most important area ... use this area to grab the user.