As you start out hosting your website, you would often fail to notice a couple of factors which you would have to consider as you choose a web hosting company. Here is a helpful checklist to help you out.

1. Technical Support
This is very important, as it is crucial to be able to have adequate support for any concern that you may have along the way. You could try testing a couple of companies before signing up through shooting them an email message with a question. Check from their response rate if they are able to provide assistance.

2. Uptime
A web host should be able to give a guarantee for more uptime. The acceptable standard is actually a 99 percent uptime.

3. Disk Space
You would have to determine exactly how much disk space you would need. Compute how big you website is and if it would fit the allotted disk space.

4. Bandwidth
This is often overlooked until such point that the limit for the bandwidth has been reached. Remember that if you exceed the allotted bandwidth, you would be getting a hefty bill.

5. CGI Bin
This feature has now been made a standard with the better hosting companies. Without access to this, you would not be able to install programs and scripts.

6. Perl
If you do not have this, you would not be able to run Perl programs. A lot of the good scripts that you purchase are written in Perl.

7. SSL
If you plan to directly accept credit card payments at your website, then you would need SSL or Secure Socket Layer to be included in the plan that you would be getting.

8. SSI
SSI or Server Side Includes would be great if you intend to spend very minimal time in updating your website.

9. MySQL
There are some programs which need a MySQL database to be able to run so you would have to check this feature as well with the plan which you would be choosing.

10. PHP
A lot of new programs and scripts need PHP support. This feature could cost additional but many good hosts have it as a standard feature already.

11. Domain Name
There are some hosting companies which assist you in registering your domain name, however it is advisable to compare prices in the market and study registering your domain name yourself so that you would be in control of the domain name you have if you would be changing hosts later on.

12. FTP Access
Unrestricted and unlimited FTP access to your website is very essential. You would be needing an FTP program to be able to transfer files.

13. Control Panel
This is important to be able to manage your website effortlessly.

14. Statistics Program
An efficient statistics program would come in handy if you plan to keep track on the number of visitors that you are getting, referrers, the top entry and exit pages, as well as where they are coming from.