Jim,
I'm like you. I didn't know "diddly squat" about building a website. But I knew that it would be important to my business.
So, I went to a library and took out "Frontpage 2000 for Dummies." I read the book from cover to cover. Then I applied what I learned after "borrowing" a full-install of Frontpage 2000.
I spent some three months building the website but I think it came out ok.
So, in short, I guess I am just trying to say that I was in the same place you are now. But, IF you have the time to learn Frontpage or Dreamweaver, then you will be able to build a website as Jim described.
No, it may not look like
www.cnn.com but it can be a good site, with good content, and easy to navigate through.
I hope this helps. BTW, I would be happy to help you if needed. Just let me know.