There's literally thousands of website hosting services available. A simple thing like choosing a web host is really a big deal. Not all providers are equal, some offer more than others.

The first thing you should look for when choosing a great web host is what platform they run on. Do you know which operating system you want your server to run? You have two choices, Windows or Linux. To determine this you must know what kind of applications your servers going to need to host your website correctly. If your using Microsoft software and technology like ASP, or VB then you'll want your server's operating system to be Windows.

The second most important thing to look at is the features. Features include things like free server backups, money back gurantees, bandwith, disk space, databases, and email accounts. You want the most bandwith and disk space you can get, along with free automatic or manual backups. It also doesn't hurt when they offer a good money back gurantee. Your going to probably also want an email account, or serveral, so check to see how many email accounts are included.

The third most important thing to look for when picking a great web host is the cost. This shouldn't be the only thing you consider, but it should be a selling point. If you can get the same features for less then why not give the cheaper service a try, If you don't like it then you can just backup your files and move them over to a new provider. A great place to quickly look at features prices and more is webhostingreviews.com; they'll provide all those details along with statistics like server uptime.