web based app suggestions needed for my first website

<p>Hello and thank you all for contributing so much wonderful information on this site. I know it takes time to answer these questions and I'm certain we all appreciate it greatly!<br>

I'm just going pro with my photography and know nothing about web design, but need a website as soon as possible that will allow me to post my photos for review and purchase. Could you all make a suggestion for web based application(s) that will let me design and update my site that is also compatible with the iphone? I already own my own domain name through godaddy. Thanks so much!!</p>

<p>There is a choice you need to make when you create a website for photography: Do you get a flash site or a more of a text site (less pretty graphics and more html).</p>

<p>The thing is that if you get a flash type site it is really pretty, but search engines don't recognize it for crap. Search engines want content (words about your product) they can't hear pretty love songs or see a sunset set to music. They read words and match them to queries. Get an html or more of a text editing type site or get two sites: one to optimize for search engines and one really pretty one to send all the customers generated from the wordy html site and close the deal with the pretty one.<br>

Here is an example of an html or more of a text based site www.goodkarmaphotography.com. Here is a flash type site www.karmahill.com.<br>

The second one is prettier, but the first one generates business.</p>

<p>Maybe not the answer you were looking for, but one I thought might help.</p>

<p>Did you read Steve Job's rant at flash? Personally I would avoid using flash, not because it's great for presentations which it is and for inside individual Web pages inside a Website, but it's involves more work down the road if you want to keep updating your Website. You have to keep rebuilding the content into the flash file. Text/Javascript based Website offer the advantage of easier on-going management and operation, espeically if you put a blog, new/updated galleries and other Web pages on-line.</p>

<p>In the end, it's a decision between a cool looking Website or a good manageable one. Flash is great for the former for one-off Websites, or with few updates. Non-flash and non-Javascript intensive are easier if, like me, you work on your Website weekly. The fancier it looks and runs, the harder it is to maintain and update if you're not sufficiently savy in Web design and Web page work. Just my thoughts. Good luck.</p>

<p>If you have a facebook account, I would checkout this application<br>

<a href="http://www.facebook.com/foliotab">http://www.facebook.com/foliotab</a><br>

It let's you upload your own photos and create a pretty nice website in just minutes. It doesn't create a section where people can purchase photos, but you can link to other places that focus on that, such as a photoshelter.com which is very popular.</p>