There are many web hosting companies available on the internet and it can be difficult to choose. You will first need to decide which features are important to you such as the number of e-mail accounts included and the type of site builder available with the program (especially if you have limited experience in building websites). Website builders often include templates of sites that you can customize. Some allow you to change colors and positions of text and graphics, others only allow you to add your text in specific locations on the preformatted site. This may or may not be a factor to you, but it is something you should decide before you sign on to a provider.
You also need to determine if domain registration is included in your monthly fee, and if so, how many domains are included. Some hosts give you one domain with several sub domains, some will give you 5 domains, while others provide none and you will need to register your domain separately. Whoever your domain is registered with, you will want to be sure they allow domain forwarding. This allows you to keep your domain name at that site and forward it to a site you build elsewhere. You should note that domain transfers (transferring your domain registration to another company) generally must wait until 90 days after the initial domain registration. Therefore, if you are not happy with your web hosting provider for some reason, you want to be able to forward that domain elsewhere. Otherwise you will have to use a different domain for your site if you switch providers.
Other factors to consider are the monthly fee and whether or not they have a start-up fee. You will need to compare the total costs overall, including any separate domain registration fee. While considering cost, you should be certain the company provides free image and file storage. You will also want to note whether or not ads will be shown on your site. Some of the less expensive hosting plans are less expensive because the host company will place ads for other sites onto your site.
A major consideration is the availability of live support. Some sites only have FAQ pages or a searchable index. A site with at least e-mail support and preferably also phone support would certainly be more desirable. It is inevitable that you will need support at some point and there is nothing more frustrating than having no one to contact!
You may also want to consider the availability of other features such as blog building tools, photo album building tools, and newsletter tools. Depending on your needs, these may or may not be important to you. A final factor to consider is the bandwidth and disk space. Bandwidth is the amount of data that is used to deliver your web page to a viewer. Disk space indicates how much room you have to store your files. Compare these figures between plans to determine what will best suit your needs. If your site is heavy on graphics, you will need more storage.
This provides a brief overview of what to look at when choosing a web hosting company. There are always going to be other factors to consider, especially as technology continues to change but with a bit of research and comparison you will find a host that fits your needs.
Karen Grant is CEO of Divine Finds, Inc. and has written the book "Incorporate Your Way to Wealth" which is included as part of the company's business start-up package for internet entrepreneurs. This package is currently available at http://stores.ebay.com/Everything-AND-the-Kitchen-Sink She has also developed several websites, the latest being http://www.FindMoreFacts.com an informational website for home and small business resources.