Do I need a fancy 3rd party portal or does VB offer a basic homepage?
 

Sorry for the noob type of question, but I'm looking for a way to set up my site with a basic homepage that describes the site, has a slightly different header logo than the forums, has a log-in and registration features, and can carry ad space below.

My forum will be a private forum, exclusive to only registered users, meaning outsiders won't be able to peer inside. The homepage is the only page viewable to the public at large, and hopefully will get many hits from search engine queries.

Can anyone advise me here on the best solution for my needs?

TIA