When choosing a web host, there are a variety of things to keep in mind. First you must know the content on your site, or if it has not been created yet, have an idea of what you want it to look like. What functionality and how media intensive do you plan your site to be? These factors should give you an understanding of what kind of options you are going to need from your host.

Domain Options
Most web hosting companies will offer an option to register at least one domain. But before we continue, what is a domain? A domain is basically the address used to reach your web site. For example, the address to this web site is www.nullreality.net, therefore our domain name is nullreality.net. To check if a domain name is available, you can type in the domain name in the text field on our front page in the Domain Availability table.

Now that we know what a domain is, what options do you look for in a host? As stated above, most hosting companies will offer to register atleast one domain name included in your hosting package. Some of these hosting companies may even offer more than one domain name registration included in your hosting package. If you already own a domain name, most hosting companies will offer options to use your domain name in your web site hosted on their server.

Site Functionality
Depending on what web applications you plan on using, and what those applications require, you should decide on a hosting platform. The two most commonly used platforms are Windows and Linux. Linux is considered the most popular operating system for web servers. It is usually better if you plan to incorporate Perl, PHP, and MySQL. Windows is useful for Active Server Pages or any other Microsoft applications.

Bandwidth Requirements
Bandwidth, in regards to web hosting, is the amount of information sent and received by a web hosting server. The more media your site utilizes; such as images, video files, flash documents, sounds, etc; the more bandwidth your site will require. You should also be aware that if you allow users to upload files, uploading will also count towards your monthly bandwidth usage.

E-Mail Options
Many hosting companies usually include e-mail boxes in a hosting package. Having e-mail accounts on your domain can be incredibly helpful, especially if your host includes additional options such as auto responders and e-mail forwarding. If you plan to use e-mail, it is also beneficial if your host allows POP3 or IMAP e-mail protocols so you can use external e-mail applications such as Outlook or Thunderbird.

The Technical Details
The above factors are typically easier to understand for most people, however, there are other options available from hosting companies which may seem confusing. For example, Server Side Scripting Languages available on a host server. Most web applications are developed using a server side scripting language. This means that the server is responsible for executing the application, therefore the server must have the required scripting language installed to run the application. This goes back to Site Functionality discussed earlier, you should ensure that any application(s) you plan on using will be supported by your potential web host.

Generally, most hosting companies today will offer a variety of hosting packages which will usually meet your business or organization's web hosting needs. Finding the most options for the least amount of money is usually the goal, but it is still important to ensure that a potential host will offer everything you will need to run your web site efficiently.