A question from misc.business.moderated:

Can anyone recommend an extremely easy approach to do-it-yourself Web site construction? I’m looking to put up a simple marketing site (no e-commerce, no flash, etc.), and do not want to have to learn HTML coding. I need something that is totally simple for a non-techie.

Unfortunately, there is no way to implement a Web site without some technical knowledge. If you don’t possess it and are disinclined to acquire it, you need to involve someone else, if only for a couple of hours. For example, you may want to have someone install and customize a copy of WordPress for you. WordPress started as a Weblog appcation, but over time, it has evolved into a very good content management solution for small (and sometimes not-so-small) sites. These days, you can actually implement a complete Web site in WordPress, with or without a Weblog, and manage it all on your own… Alas, before you can do it, you (or someone else) must set it up, which involves using FTP, setting up a database, and doing some basic (and sometimes not-so-basic) configuration.

I see all these free templates being offered online. Are they the way to go?

In my opinion, not for you. A template is just a starting point. You need to customize it to your needs (say, the template has six links in the main navigation menu, but you need eight), create multiple pages based on it, and ensure that all links work. This requires either understanding of HTML, which you, by your own admission, do not want to acquire, or skills with Dreamweaver, FrontPage, or a similar visual HTML editing tool.

(Pls, no offers to design a site for me!)

Why bother? There are about 3,000 free WordPress layouts in the WordPress Theme Directory alone, plus thousands more available on the Internet…