What You See Isn't All You Get
If concepts such as "modularity" or "standards-compliance" seem more abstract and complex to grasp than simply describing colors and text, you're not alone. Without strong technical knowledge, your website's design is considered solely in terms of the look and feel visible from
the outside.
Your Website Is You
You've got a solid product. You've got a great backend handling all your orders and inventory. You've got analytics, pay-per-clicks, and a great PageRank. You've done everything right. So why are you still not moving product? Why are all your users clicking the back button and spending money at your competitor's website instead of yours? Isn't this why you paid for optimization and development in the first place?
The Power of Forums
The best website I use doesn't have the most spectacular Web 2.0 backend. The design is clunky and scattershot. It won't ship orders overnight. It doesn't have to. It became compelling as a better source of content: it's a forum.