(unfortunately) I am not a designer either! When I opened the page, it design just felt a bit "old", e.g. not very "web2.0" like, if you know what I mean.

I think, that a bit less of clutter and a better focus on the important parts of the site (the search bar, and a clear message what value the site provides) would definitively help.

Further, something like "example searches" or "last searches" might be beneficial as well, e.g. to showcase the application. Just my 2cts ...

hth, cheers