When looking for web hosting you want to make sure that you get a good deal. What you need is what you want to pay for. The majority of hosting companies charge monthly or annually. They determine this cost by how much bandwidth and space you want. Once you figure out how much space and bandwidth you need you can then purchase a hosting plan that fits. It’s a good idea to shop around and see who has the best deal for what you want. You also want to make sure the hosting plan you pick has all the features you want.

Here is a hosting checklist. This is what you may want to look for.

Server Side Programming: PHP, Perl - Used when you want dynamic content on your site.

FTP Account - Used to upload files to your web host account.

E-mail Accounts/Webmail - Used for your own website email account, for example: you@yoursite.com

No Setup Cost - Most hosting companies offer free setup.

Database: MySQL - Used if you want to store data for dynamic site content.

WebStats - Nice feature to have, lets you know how many people visit your site and where they are coming from.

CPanel/File Manager - Lets you manage your website account and files.

Email & Phone Support - When you need help with something this is a must have.

Flash Support - Lets you use flash for your site.

Frontpage Extensions - Required for frontpage management.

Add-On Domains - If you want to add more domain names (websites) to your account.

Sub-domains - A sub-domain looks like this: artwork.yoursite.com This is nice if you want to separate your site by directories. Each directory would have its own sub-domain.

Password Protect - Used to password protect a directory on your site.

Here is a example of what hosting plans may look like on a hosting website.

Its a good idea to start with the smallest plan and then upgrade later if you need to. Don't pay for more than you need!