I suggest you try to find a company that offers 24/7 tech support. You probably know by now (and if you don't, you'll soon discover), web site owners tend to keep odd hours. If you're working on your site at 2am and run into a problem, you don't want to wait until 9am the next day to get it fixed. Make sure the company has a detailed FAQ page or online manual so you can get answers to some common questions immediately. I prefer companies that offer a toll-free number as well in order to avoid long distance charges in the event I have a problem that can't be solved online or via email.

Before I look for package specs, prices, etc., I like to check out the company and make sure they're reputable. Look into how long the company has been in business and, if possible, check out some of the sites hosted by that company. Many web hosting firms won't provide you with a list of clients, so if you're unable to get that information, find out how many clients they have. This should give you an idea of whether or not it's a "fly-by-night" operation or a legitimate company.

You'll find month-to-month contracts, quarterly contracts, and almost any other arrangement. Decide which is the best for you. I always "test the waters" before I sign any lengthy contract. Once you settle on a company you like and want to stay with, it's nice to have the option of paying several months in advance at a discounted rate should you decide to do so.

Web hosting fees vary greatly. For the most part, though, you get what you pay for - just like anything else in life. Companies that charge $2.95/month usually don't offer everything a company that charges $24.95/month does. I believe you can find a high-quality host and a decent plan between $15.00 - $35.00 per month.

It's common to see 1-3 GB limits with additional amounts available for purchase at $x amount/GB. That amount should be suitable for sites just starting out; in fact, it's adequate for many established sites. A word of caution: you may think "unlimited data transfer" is the best option, but that's not always the case. In reality, it's usually not truly unlimited and if you share a server with a site with super-high traffic, it could overload the server and cause your site's performance to be affected.

25-50 MB far exceeds the needs of many sites. In fact, I don't think I've ever used more than 15 MB; even on sites that had many image files and lots of pages. It's good if your host offers a resource meter or some other method to gauge how much storage space and data transfer you use.

If you plan on using FrontPage to design your site, make sure the host you choose supports FrontPage extensions.

FTP is a method of transferring files to your server. Shop for unlimited, 24 hour FTP access.

Some plans offer numerous email addresses with their hosting packages, so you can set up you@yourdomain.com, sales@yourdomain.com, info@yourdomain.com, etc. Look for hosts that provide autoresponders as well. These are neat little programs that send a predetermined reply to any mail addressed to a specific email address. For example, let's say you want a price list sent to everyone who sends an email to pricelist@yourdomain.com - autoresponders allow you to do this.

Many hosts provide a few preinstalled CGI scripts such as formmail.pl. You don't have to mess with setting up file permissions, the path to Perl, etc. when the scripts are preinstalled - the hosting company has taken care of this for you. I definitely recommend finding a host that allows you to use your own CGI scripts even if you think you'll never use that feature. Installing your own CGI script can be a daunting task the first time out, but at some point in time, most web owners want or need to install a script.

Lots of hosts offer some type of statistics package. In my experience, it's much easier to use the package they provide rather than trying to install one yourself - not to mention it's usually less expensive as well. Whatever you do, don't fool yourself into thinking you don't really need a stats package, you do.

A shopping cart is another thing I much prefer my hosting company take care of for me versus doing it myself. If you plan on selling items from your site, it's worth checking into and perhaps worth paying a little extra for a plan that comes with a shopping cart.

Of course there are various other questions to ask a potential web hosting company, but this list covers "the basics" for those of you taking the first steps to an online business.