Most people I know who need a basic site can usually get by with
Wordpress and a professionally designed off the shelf theme, such as one from
WooThemes.com. There are many other free themes and paid theme developers as well.
Wordpress is an open-source (free) content management system, originally developed for and mainly used for blogs, though many sites are now powered by Wordpress software.
Most web hosting companies have one click installation scripts that allow you to set up WP in a few minutes.
In all, you could be up and running in an hour for less than $60US. The real challenge is content, traffic and traffic that converts.
I'd be happy to share some additional information in exchange for a beer for you or for anyone else interested.
I love talking about this stuff and helping with these things.
