The first decision that you will need to make is what operating system you would like your web site hosted upon: Windows or Linux. (There is a third choice but as it is rarely used or requested, I will not discuss it here.) Most people are familiar with Windows even if they are Mac users. You may have heard of Linux or Unix before but never used it or known of anyone but “big business” to use these operating systems. Some hosting companies support both types of servers but one will definitely be favored over the other. This can usually be determined by the amount of features and add-ons that they offer for their favored operating system.

Personally, I prefer Linux over Windows primarily because of all the free applications available. In my opinion, add-on applications and the control panel used to manage your web site(s) are usually easier to use on the Windows operating system. So if you are a newbie and not interested in all of the free extra features, go with Windows. On the other hand, if you want to implement a lot of extra features like discussion boards, blogs, chat, classifieds, content management systems, customer relationship management packages, image galleries, and lots more, then go with Linux operating systems. They also tend to be less expensive.

Once you have decided which operating system you wish to have your web site hosted, you need to compare storage space, bandwidth limits and features. My favorite Linux host is Host Gator. See the chart below for their current offerings:

Linux Hosting Packages

Windows Hosting Packages

See also Microsoft’s list of ASP.NET service providers for the latest list.