Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:02 am
Dreamhost is good. Their one click install for Wordpress is one way you can set up a website such as you describe with minimal effort and Dreamhost will keep the Wordpress software updated.
1&1 offers a website construction tool that is typical of the 'website for dummies' thing that is intended to help newbies put up a decent looking website. If I understand it right, they even have templates based on type of business.
Then there are companies that specialize in store-fronts and have all sorts of support for Mom & Pop type businesses trying to create a web presence. (I got a 'free lunch' from a presentation by one of these passing through town hawking their wares, once! interesting business)
Offline, there are all sorts of web site building applications ranging from FOSS to extremely expensive.
Complexity and maintenance are your killers. They are reasons why Wordpress can be a good starting point. Yes, it is blog software but it also provides most of the features needed to set up a decent template driven website that you can use to develop your 'chops.' It is also portable, database driven, and FOSS which is an advantage (in my eyes, anyway) over the more proprietary website building systems. It is also simpler than the typical CMS (content management systems) like Joomla that are often used to build websites. The way Dreamhost installs and maintains Wordpress (or Joomla or some other similar web apps) takes a lot of the startup hassles out of the picture. Features of this sort are one criteria to use in evaluating web hosting services, I think. As for Wordpress websites, search around and you should be able to find many examples and a lot of discussion.
Where I have had the most difficulty is in trying to get some to understand that a website is not a 'set and forget' sort of thing. It needs proper business support in terms of defining the goals, purpose and focus; ongoing content contributions; and effective ongoing budgeting (which can be significant). As with any marketing or communication tool, the expertise of professionals cannot be underestimated (but, as with a lot of technical stuff, easily faked at a surface level). A lack of respect for what it takes to make an excellent business website is one reason a learning process can be painful.
Bryan