Most larger web sites use a content management system. There are many
open source cms systems out there, you may be better off learning how to
use one of them for your project. also you will need CSS for modern web
design. I like Typo3 myself, a little slow and resource demanding but
organizing a site is easy and there are many templates already made that
can get you going quick.

You can also set up a wordpress website to manage and organize. There
are wigets and addons that make google analitics a breeze.

Firebug is an addon for firefox that makes editing a page easier and
gives you something to study page layout to help you modify your site.

When designing I use Kompozer and gimp to lay out a template to use in
conjunction with Typo3