In order to choose the best web hosting for beginners, we identified several factors for you to first consider about your website. Some of the factors considered in Part 1 of this article were website complexity, the type of content it is going to contain, and your level of technical expertise in setting it up and getting it online. In this example, you want to get off to a quick start, so you’re just going to publish a basic personal website. (We’re also assuming that you’ve already registered your new website’s domain name with GoDaddy.com or some other Internet registrar.)

Because the site you’ll be putting up will be simple and basic in nature, you’ll only need some of the more fundamental tools. All of the cheap web hosting for beginners providers include a simple web design tool (usually a set of automated templates), a file manager utility to manage your website’s files on the server, and more than enough email accounts. As far as disk storage and network bandwidth allowances go these days, the trend is to offer unlimited levels for both, even in the most basic hosting package. (You can always purchase more later if you want to take your website up a notch or two in complexity.)

Now that your website’s preliminary requirements have been determined, it’s time to move on to consider several more important topics. How long do you plan on keeping your personal site online? Monthly plans are the standard offering, some with very attractive discounts for a year or multi-year engagements. If you’re truly serious about putting up a website, I’d suggest subscribing to at least a one-year plan. This not only gives you enough time to become established online, but you’ll also be taking advantage of any special savings.

Virtually all hosting companies charge their customers’ credit cards these days, and it’s not uncommon for them to keep your credit card number on file for auto-renewal purposes. This provides two benefits for you – security, as using a credit card online is very safe, and availability, as your website won’t be deactivated mistakenly due to lack of renewal payment. I’d suggest having them set up your account in this fashion.

Before you make your final selection between the best providers of cheap web hosting for beginners, you’ll want to try to glean a little more information about your choices. Specifically, try to find out some additional information on their web servers and network. Here are some suggestions:

- Each plan offered will have a list of features for that package. See what it says about the server hardware you’ll be hosted on. Try to determine if your website will run a generic “white box” server, or on a quality server like those from Sun, HP, Compaq, or Dell.

- Make sure you can call a toll-free 8xx number for technical support; is that included in your potential hosting plan? Email and chat support channels work, but you may want more support than that.

- One IP address is typically shared among the more inexpensive hosting accounts all located on the same server. If any of these “neighbors” of yours engage in disreputable behavior like spamming, that IP may be blocked. This effectively can make your own website inaccessible to others. If that happens, get your own IP address for your website; it’s typically only a couple dollars per month extra.

If you keep these issues in mind while evaluating potential providers, you’ll come out way ahead when making your selection. Competition between the best web hosting for beginners providers is keen, so take full advantage of their specials if you can. It won’t be long after that before you have your own personal website up and running on the Internet. Have fun and welcome to the fray!

With 15 years of hands-on experience, Internet expert Markys Robertson writes extensively about website design, cheap web hosting for beginners, domain names, and other Internet related topics. If you’re seeking the best web hosting for beginners, click here to see some of Markys’ favorite providers.