SUPPORT - Does your hosting company offer good telephone support?  You should look for companies that offer telephone support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The Internet never closes, so neither should your host.

TRAFFIC ALLOWANCE – Does the hosting company put a limitation on how much traffic or “data transfer” your site can have before assuming additional charges?  It is fairly standard for hosting companies to offer a limit, however do the math and make sure that the limit suits your needs and understand what the additional charges will be when the popularity of your sites gets to the points of needing increased limits.  Consider the data transfer needs of video and other media that may require additional considerations.

DISK SPACE – If your site will be hosting video or other media, be sure that the disk space that your hosting company offers is ample enough to facilitate your needs.

OPERATING SYSTEM - What is your site coded in?  Make sure that all the languages and scripts that your Web site utilizes is supported on your server.  Just because you feel Windows is your best option for a desktop does not mean that Windows is your best option for a Web server.  If your site utilizes a lot of PHP, you may want to consider a Unix or Linux platform, where on the other hand, if you are building your Web site with Front Page, Windows may be a better option.  Understand what your site’s needs are so that you can make the best choice.

These are a few of the more important considerations in choosing a Web host.  Stay tuned for more points to consider, as well as a checklist of things to keep in mind when choosing your new Web host …