How much space do you need?

Hosting companies are selling packages with 2MB to 200 GB of space. So how much space do you need. If it is to be a hobby site with just a couple of pages, a 2 MB hosting may suffice. If it is a professional site with many pages, images and related stuff you may need more. It is important to make a fair assumption of the space you need and not to buy lots of extra space. Most companies will allow you to upgrade when you grow and need more space. Similarly make a fair estimate of the bandwidth you will need.

What is PHP and mySql?

Most host these days come with PHP and mySql support. PHP is the most popular scripting language and mySql the most popular database for that. If you need any thing more that static webpages, chances are that you will need PHP and mySql. CMS and blog softwares like wordpress need PHP and mySql.

What control panel do you get?

Most of the hosting companies give cPanel which is the best control panel allowing you to change settings for your hosting. DirectAdmin too is a pretty good control panel and is easier to manage than cPanel.

What is Fantastico?

Most cPanels will come with Fantastico. If you are planning to host a professional website fantastico is a real help. It allows you to set up blogs, forums and other software with few clicks and is a real time saver.

Parked domains and addon domain.

You may want to host multiple sites with a single web hosting account. You will need to have addon domains for this. It is necessary to check the number of addon domains allowed by your host as they are generally limited. Parked domains allow you to point multiple domain names to same site.

Before you commit to any webhosting company read the fine print. See what type of support they provide. What is their guaranteed uptime? Happy hosting