Looking for a web host can be a devastating task. If you are new to hosting, the large number of hosting companies and the overabundance of features, packages, and technical terminology can be scary. If you’re a veteran of web hosting, and your Dream Host has just crooked into a terrifying situation, it becomes tough to take the throw again, knowing you’re bound to be disappointed.

Here are a few things that may actually be important to you:

Bandwidth: This isn’t the most important criteria, but I list it first because many hosts use it as an enticement, tempting you with gigenormous or even unmetered bandwidth.

TOS (Terms of Service) : Every host is going to place some kind of limitation on your resources (CPU and memory), and it’s a good thing they do; shared hosting only works when everyone plays nice with their neighbors.

Number of Domain Pointers : How many domains will you need? Many budget shared hosting plans limit you to one, or perhaps a few, domains.

Number of Databases: Some hosts offer unlimited domains, but give you a paltry number of databases to work with.

Control Panel: You’re going to spend a fair amount of time poking around in your control panel, so make sure it’s user-friendly.

Blog-friendly?: If you’re going to publish a blog, look for a blog-friendly host. I’d avoid GoDaddy and 1&1, for example, which have awkward backends and weren’t, in my experience, particularly WordPress-friendly (it’s been a couple of years since I was with these hosts, though, so things may have changed; feel free to comment if you’ve had a different experience)

Service: Your host may offer online, email, chat and/or phone support. If you’re new to hosting (and even if you’re not) I’d recommend finding a host that offers phone support.

Affiliate Program: Okay, this is the least important thing to consider. But I’d hesitate before choosing a host that didn’t offer a referral fee.