There has been a big change in website design the last few years. It used to be you would use a special program to build your site, then upload it to the web. These websites were static, the only way to change them was to make the changes on the files on your computer, then send updated files to your website. Problems arose with proprietary program versions, corrupt or lost files on your computer... "where ARE those work files from 2 years ago?". Programs in this group would be MS Frontpage, Expression, and Dreamweaver (which is still a very good program for file editing) among many others.
The new way uses a CMS - Content Management System. You install this on your web host, and totally build your website online. Other than a photo editing program, no programs are really needed. Best of all, updating and keeping your website fresh is quick and easy. And a constantly updated website keeps bringing eyeballs back!
I use
Joomla! because it is an open source CMS, VERY configurable and free. No expensive programs to buy, no proprietary files to corrupt or loose. No company to go out of business or get sold. It has a bit of a learning curve, but anything involving web building does. I have built many websites with Joomla! (I'm a web developer). You might also take a look at
Wordpress. It is used to build blogs, but can also be configured as a traditional simple website. I've used it a bit, and it is nowhere near as robust as Joomla!. But It is a bit easier for a novice.
Both of the above CMS examples are mature, and there is lot's of online help. When I first went this route, I was worried about everything being "in the cloud" and therefore not safe. There are precautions (backup anyone?) you can take to lessen this. Besides, I had to rebuild several websites long ago because I couldn't find all the files! As long as I'm backing up, I trust the cloud... a tad more! LOL
Mark