Frankly design (as in look) does not matter as much as design (as in usability). You can get away with a very basic design as long as you are providing a valuable service. In other words what you can do with great programming and basic HTML skills will always be superior to what you can do with great Photoshop/CSS skills and little programming experience. This is the same reason why small restaurants with great food, but crappy look can easily outscore a million dollar establishment with poor food quality.