correct, people only want to read stuff.
but as with everything image means a lot too.
pull up in a van with the exhaust dragging the floor, a rust trail and then get out with a ciggarette in your mouth swearing as you shut the door of the van ...and there's a high chance the customer wont want you to work for them ..cos your image is poor, even if you are a great cleaner and a cheap price.
if you have a cheap, nasty website then your image will be poor and people will move into a more proffesional looking website. i know, i do it - and so do most people.
what you say means 50%, the other 50% is how you look - same with any advertising, you wouldnt hand out a leaflet with tea stains and rips in it ... why have a website that people dont want to look at.
web design comes with a lot of though, colour, layout, text, fonts, sizes, positioning. if any of these things look wrong to a customer - they will sub consiously judge you and your work.
im not saying pay a pro, but someone who knows what they are doing.
look at a 15 year old girls 'bebo' or 'piczo' and you'll see its not the sort of website you'd want, because for them its a website for a laugh and to meet new people and show pictures of yourself and friends...but if they were advertising it would be more than highly unproffesional.
the one off cost of setting up a proper website could benefit you greatly in the long run.
free hosting - yes, free !! good news, but poor on the search engines and can sometimes be unproffesional - banners/pop ups etc.