The rare site that does a good job with its typography is well worth study/emulation. Not just font, typeface, but leading (interline spacing) and column width for example.

Also, editorial composition. All the design in the world won't hold me in place if I have to scale a "wall of text" (particularly enormous paragraphs without any visual landmarks).

I see site design as a means to an end. If you focus primarily on the means, you're doing it wrong. Well, it may be fine for you, and I don't begrudge you that. But you are doing it wrong for me.

If enough people feel that way, you won't have much traffic. If traffic is a goal, well then, there you go.