The first thing you'll probably look at is price. Don't let this fool you. You get what you paid for and a lot of the time cheap hosts will just bring problems. Sometimes there will be a host that is cheap and also provides a great service though. You just need to read up on the host(s) that you're considering.

Even though you think you're experienced with all aspects of websites, make sure the host you choose provides good support. Google the host name and see if there are any complaints about them. Unexpected problems will most likely come up, and you want someone who can help you and help you quickly. The quicker you receive help, the less visitors you lose.

Check their downtime rate. Most paid hosts mention that they have a 99.9% uptime rate. Stick with those. If they don't mention downtime at all, once again, Google them. If that brings up nothing ask them yourself.

You want all the flexibility you can get. Go with a host that, at the very least, offers cPanel and Fantastico. Also, you'll want to be able to do cron jobs because you'll probably want to install something on your website that requires this.

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Jerlene
DNLodge.com
manual Directory Submission Service