If you want a professional looking web site that functions properly, my suggestion is to hire a professional to build it for you. The exact same way that if people want a professional looking video project, hire a professional videographer and editor.
If that isn’t an option the next best thing would probably be to purchase a template that you like and just swap out the content with your own. Your web host might even have some and a site building tool for you to use. I don’t know any cheap html authoring programs, I am sure they are out there, but I only really use Dreamweaver myself. You might want to check out Chris Colorado I believe he has a blog and is writing a book on using free software.
