Offer Something of value
Though this doesn't really relate to design, it's actually more important than design. I know many people reading this page are trying to find out how to make useless pages look pretty, because they think that's all that really matters. So let's step back a minute and realise that fundamentally a web page exists to provide something that's useful or interesting to visitors. If your page doesn't have that, then fix that problem before you worry about how to present it.
If your plan is to make money from advertising, then go for a ratio of not less than 75% editorial to 25% advertising. Amazingly, we see some sites that are almost nothing but ads. Would you turn on the TV if it were just commercials, and no programs? Would you buy a magazine if it were just ads, and no articles? If not, then make sure your web site doesn't suffer from the same mistake.