Hey peoples!

I'm kinda new to all this forum business. But anyway....

Is it absolutely crucial that a business website be aesthetically pleasing. Does a good-looking site add to a professional image? Or aren't many people concerned with the look of the site?

In my experience, it pays better to consider the visual design of a website, but then again I've heard all kinds of things. I do marketing for a software business, and my boss doesn't consider a better look to be of immediate importance. He obviously wants more sight traffic (and I agree...I mean it'd be stupid to disagree) but does a good website design keep potential customers on the site? Or does it make no or little difference?

I'd tend to think that an ugly site would have me clicking "Back" at an incredibly fast speed! With people wanting network admin software, do they care if the site looks flashy or not?

Anyway, hope I've made sense. It'd be great if anyone could help me out, and futhermore continue to discuss this.