You Are Not Fooling Anyone
I saw a video from a competitor today who thought he was an SEO genius, and he was telling people all his results came from mediocre content. After I manage to get back up off the floor as I was laughing so hard, I though this guy does not have a clue. Not only do you need great content, you need to keep the content on your web site fresh. When some one arrives at your site and bounces within 2 to 6 seconds that is considered a poor quality destination.
Google tracks everything (even password protected areas of websites you visit while using the toolbar) And they know by measuring key metrics such as bounce rate, content delivery speed and code validation if a website is of higher or lower value to potential visitors in the future. Google should be looking for sites that provide visitors with a unique, informative and positive experience. I have seen a lot of ugly sites that were very successful, and great content that is both unique and informative is very important.