Though hosting companies offer various hosting options, there a certain standard features that comprise all plans:  

• Disk Space
  This is the amount of hard drive space available to you for publishing your files on-line. Web pages are normally very small and you can store many web pages in small amount of disk space. The file size of a basic page with limited graphics often runs around 20 kb. Images take up more space and files heavy with graphics can run over 50 kb. You can determine the total disk space you will need by estimating the average size of a single page and multiplying it by total number of pages in your website.
  
  
• Bandwidth
  This is the amount of actual data that can be transferred from the web server that holds your web site, to the browser of the person who is looking at your web site. The amount of bandwidth you use is related to the number of visitors to your web site. Web sites that offer downloads of audio/ video files require much more bandwidth. If you exceed your limit then either you will need to pay extra fee or your web site will not be available.   A company's advertising of unlimited bandwidth is misleading since there is a physical limit to any server and thus a limit to the bandwidth.
  
  E-mail Services You are given an email address at your domain such as myname@mywebsite.com. Various companies offer various plans for e-mail accounts, with many of them offering a certain number of accounts for free.
  
  
• CGI-Bin
  These days, almost all paid hosting services come with your own CGI-Bin to run various scripts.
  
  
• FTP
  It allows you to upload your files on the web server.
  
  
• Advanced Features
  Server-side functionality including SSI, JavaScripting, Active Scripting, and PHP capabilities are among the added features for more advanced sites. User logs and error tracking along with daily site back-ups are also important components of a quality hosting solution.
  
  
• Control Panel
  Some hosts give a special administrative page to each of their clients. This enables the client to adjust certain attributes and check the status on certain parts of their account without having to contact their host.
  
  
• Support
  You need to judge whether you want phone support, or will email support be ok? Do you want support 24 hours a day? If you have a small website that is not critical then you probably don't need phone support or 24/7 support. It costs web hosting companies to provide this type of support, don't pay more for a plan that offers this if you don't need it.
  
  
• Price
  Price is not necessarily a factor on performance. A hosting firm that is just starting out might need to build a client base and if you join at the right time you might obtain a competitive rate.

To evaluate a web host, you will need to consider various characteristics.

• Host's Connection to the Internet
  There are a bunch of variations T-1, T-3, OC-3, OC-256, etc. A company that offers a T1 connection to the Internet can only allow 1.544 Mbps (Megabits per second) a T3 can allow up to 45 Mbps. Then again an OC-256 can allow 13,000 Mbps, giving the ability to transfer much more information at a higher rate of speed before getting bogged down.
  
  
• Speed
  Although bandwidth and connections are major factors, server speeds are equally important. A server that is a host to many sites that are being accessed simultaneously may get bogged down.
  Processor speed is also important. Certain sites will make greater demands on the host's CPU and will consequently run slower - and slow down every other site on the server as well (Streaming video and audio, discussion forums and message boards, online surveys, and high-level animation all require huge amounts of memory and fast access to the main server. Overloaded processors can slow down a site's transmission considerably.
  
  
• Server Software
  Server software can also affect a site. UNIX and Windows NT are the most common server software environments. You should be aware of what applications you will be using and which software environment will be most suitable for these.
  
  
• Security
  Protection from various hacks and cracks is essential. The hosting company should be responsible for upgrading and maintaining these security measures.
  
  
• Customer Service
  Service is another important aspect to consider when shopping for a host. Hosts offer a variety of customer service options ranging from 24-hour toll free number, email help, and help forums. The amount of help you might need depends mainly on your experience and problems you encounter from the server.
  
  
• Reliability
  Checking out the reliability of a service is also very important. Hosts usually have several backup systems in case something goes wrong with the main servers. They also can promise less "down time" by backup power systems.

• Shared/ Virtual Web Hosting
  This is the most common type of web hosting account and can be very low cost. Hosting companies provide this service by maintaining a large server and you may be one out of numerous other sites on that same server. With a virtual web host, you will have your own identity, but you will not be required to maintain the equipment.
  
  Ample space and bandwidth for small businesses, multiple email accounts, cgi-bin access, and a T3 connection are common account features. Additional fees are often required for more advanced features including database software or SSL (secure server) functionality.
  
  
• Dedicated Hosting
  With dedicated hosting you have a full server dedicated to your website. The hosting company owns, maintains, and backs up the server while providing all the security, power management, and other aspects of maintenance. A dedicated server is the best solution for traffic-heavy businesses who lack the staff, resources, and security to build, install, and maintain an in-house solution. A dedicated server is more reliable, but also much more expensive. Hosting companies often offer packages based on server configuration (space, processor speed, IP addresses, CPanel) and bandwidth allowances.
  
  
• Colocation Hosting
  Colocating the server gives you the greatest flexibility. This is very similar to dedicated hosting, except that you own the server rather than rent it. You get to choose the hardware configuration of the server and the software that goes on it. The hosting company maintains the connection to the Internet and deals with environmental details such as uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs), fire controls, and air conditioning. On the other hand, you're responsible for that server's upkeep.
  
  When you opt for dedicated server colocation with the hosting company, you pay for the physical space that your server takes up. Colocation hosting usually requires a higher startup cost than renting a server from a hosting company. Most companies that offer server colocation service also sell service contracts to maintain the server and its connections. These service contracts will guarantee a certain percentage of uptime per month, and the fee will increase as the guaranteed uptime increases.
  
  
• Multiple Domain Hosting
  Multiple Domain Hosting is a system where web designers can buy a single "Plan" and sub-divide their storage space into multiple accounts.... one for each website they develop. This significantly decreases the costs to the web designers when they sell the hosting service to their clients.
  
  
• Reseller Web Hosting
  A reseller is a middle-man who sells web space on somebody else's server. Reselling schemes fall into the following categories:
  
  (a) The reseller acts as an agent for the web hosting company. People buy direct from the web hosting company but the reseller gets a cut if customers mention the reseller's name.
  
  (b) The reseller acts as a marketer for the web hosting company. People buy the service from the reseller but all further contact they have is direct with the web hosting company.
  
  (c) The reseller appears to be a web hosting company in his own right, handling sales and support but actually sells somebody else's service in his own name. A customer buys web space from the reseller who buys web space (at a lower price) from the actual web hosting company. Customers contact the reseller for support.
  
  (d) The reseller purchases a large chunk of web space and bandwidth from the web hosting company and can then carve that into individual chunks of space/bandwidth for sale to customers. Customers contact the reseller for support.
  
  
• Making A Decision
  If your website is a critical business then it is worth to spend a good amount of time evaluating plans in detail. If your site is lower end then there is no reason to waste hours and hours making a decision. Use the information available to make an educated choice. The worst case scenario is that you move to another host later.