The first thing to look for is always price. Everyone has a budget, a number, and an expectation for what they're going to spend, and in most cases, this is the most important criterion. For basic, shared hosting (as opposed to a far more expensive dedicated host, which you'll only need if you have insane traffic) you should expect to pay a price that is in relation to the others in the industry.

But what will you get for a low price? You should expect that a domain name is coming along with that for a small or non-existent additional fee (this will often depend on the salability of the domain name). In addition to this, several web site hosting companies offer you the option of adding additional domain names for little or no cost, which can be a boon as a business or enterprise expands. Beyond that, it depends what you need. If you are already established, you probably have a good idea of what you're looking to upgrade to, but for those of you just starting out, there are a lot of things to consider. Essentially, you want to think about your present needs and your potential for future expansion.

Look for storage that suits your current needs (which may be no more than three pages and a few megabytes of storage) yet still doesn't limit you if your business or enterprise needs to expand later in the game. Moving hosts is possible but a hassle, so it's a good idea to stick with one that can handle big clients and little clients with ease; it makes it easier for the "little fish" to become the "big fish". Especially with the amount of companies offering completely unlimited storage and pages, you should look for one that offers above and beyond what your current needs are. Remember that a website is an investment, and the harder it works the better for you.

Consider add-ons, attachments, and popular platforms. The best web hosting services will offer several e-mail addresses associated with the domain names, basic website building tools, and a blog platform or ability to port in an outside blog. Considering that blogging and microblogging are two of the hottest media right now, and thus this is something that should absolutely come with a hosting package. Wordpress is often hailed as the best blog platform, so if you're starting out, looking for a host that offers Wordpress is a smart move.

Also, look for something with unlimited bandwidth. This is something that used to be a high-priced commodity, but now many web hosting companies offer completely unlimited. If you encounter a company that is charging for excessive bandwidth, you might not be getting the best value for your dollar.

When it comes down to it, porting your website to a new host or starting a fresh website with the best web hosting you can find isn't rocket science. Like any other product or service you invest in, it requires a little savvy shopping, a lot of comparison, and some frank consultation of your own needs, expectations, and potential. You want your website to be the best it can be, and chances are you'll find the best web hosting company to make that happen for you.