Once you've decided on The Basics, there may be some Advanced Options to consider, including:
1. Security
2. Backup
3. Database access
1. Security
If you're selling anything from your website, or collecting information
from site visitors, you will want to make sure you have secure server
options available. Depending on your needs, you may be collecting credit
card information or other information of a personal and private nature.
For example, you might want to collect information from website visitors
like their names, home mailing addresses, and birth dates, so that you
can send out birthday cards with special discount coupons or gifts on
their birthdays.
2. Backup
If you have a database element to your website including things like
inventory and catalog information, or message forums, you might be more
concerned with finding a website hosting company that performs regular
backups of the data on your website for you, just in case anything were
to happen to the server where your information is stored. It's a good
practice for you to be keeping at least two separate copies of your
website just in case you need to restore the website at any time, but
for people who have more than online informational brochure type websites,
it may be worth the expense to have an automatic backup routine in place.
Keeping backups is also crucial if you ever decide to change from one website hosting service company to another. If you don't keep backup copies of your website, you might have a very difficult time getting the files that make up your website from the hosting company if they go out of business, for instance.
3. Database access
If you're going to have a need for databases on your website--for things
like forums or inventory or catalogs, for instance--you'll want to make
sure that you have the appropriate software and options available to
you through your website hosting company. Many databases use MySQL databases,
and these are often included standard with many website hosting service
packages. The number of databases is limited, so you will want to be
sure that you purchase enough for your particular needs.