One thing I picked up from them (Foraker design) was the suggestion all links which are blue and underlined tend to get more clicks than other links. This style has become a web standard, you see it everywhere and it does make links obvious. On the other side of this designers should never use blue underlined text unless they are actual links other wise we will confuse users. I added this blue link theory to my mock up site with the following result:
I notice the links do stand out more obviously, but I felt they were obvious before. Other points noted at that site were:
Dos and don'ts for achieving usability in design
Do:
Use ALT tags for all graphics, especially navigation graphics.
Use black text on white background whenever possible for optimal legibility.
Use either plain-color backgrounds or extremely subtle background patterns.
Make sure text is in a printable color (not white).
Place navigation in a consistent location on each page of your website.
Use a familiar location for navigation bars.
Keep the design from scrolling horizontally.
Use one axis of symmetry for centered text on a page.
Encourage scrolling by splitting an image at the fold.
Don't:
Allow ALT tags to get clipped (especially an issue for small, fixed width images).
Display static text in blue or underlined.
Use boldface or ALL CAPS for long pieces of text. These slow down reading.
Leave too much white space--reduces scannability.
Make the user scroll to find critical information, especially transaction buttons and navigation links.
Use horizontal rules to separate chunks of content.
Alternate too frequently between centered text and left-aligned text. Most text should be left-aligned.
Fix pages at larger than 800 x 600 pixels. Larger pages may force users to scroll horizontally.
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