NEED serious advice on website creation

I have a what I consider IMHO to be a great concept for a unique website, which should evolve to become a "hot" site - one of those sites that endures and becomes a commonly known and continually valuable staple. However, I know very little about the process of establishing a website. So, here I am, requesting advice on where to go to expediently get a comprehensive snapshot on what for me will surely be a sincere and monumentally challenging endeavor (if done right) "¦

But first and foremost. Can anyone tell me what kind of revenue do popular sites generate (by advertising? by asking for contributions? by simply charging a fee?)? In other words, generally speaking, is it worth the time and effort?

Secondly! I would like opinions on what is the best "tool" for a novice to create a website in the most expedient and painless manner. NOTE that this would NOT be a simple plain-vanilla site -- conversely, IMO the tool would need capabilities to produce what I perceive to be a complex interactive application that would need to be highly extensible…

Lastly, given the aforementioned complexity, is it feasible to bypass what, for a novice, would be an arduous development process by handing off the concept/design to an established company to develop? And, what kind of a negative hit would that inflict on the bottom line revenue?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi keywester.
Some sites that may help you out with those answers would be, This one and perhaps more so, this one.
You'll often find those that are either willing to help, or in the very least, get you on the right track, as they've had a lot of experience in this field.

Daizy