I think you can make money either way. I personally did start earning more when I set up a website. I have a couple you can view:
Bright Future Web was designed and put together for me FREE in 24 hours.
Newbie Cash Machine was set up by me and was my first atempt at building a webpage. I host with Midphase and I LOVE it because it is so easy to use and I pay only $7.95 per month. For that low cost I can build thousands of pages
If you are looking for a great idea that is very similar to a webpage in it's function but is FREE try starting some
Squidoo lenses. Really though, the most important thing is that you have a great product and that you work hard at your business. I hope this helps!