Checking for reviews on your desired web host company could be a very petty yet useful tip. You could know about all the weaknesses and strengths of the company before actually trying them. Obviously when you are going through the customers' reviews, you will get an insight about all the good and the bad things about the company and that way, your decision-making could be easier and clearer in the light of all the comments.
Comparing the prices of all your best web hosting companies could also be very beneficial move. Since a lot of people are concerned about the rates of the web host services, this tip could really help them in this regard. Making price comparisons will tell you clearly which company is charging the same hosting plan expensively and which one is asking for a nominal and affordable price. Moreover, you also tend to think and consider why plan 'x' is more expensive then plan 'y' when both are offering the same sort of features. Is it just about the name of the brand or maybe there is something better about plan 'x' which you might not be noticing.
Choosing a web host could be this much time taking and involving all your attention but if a new comer will not make all these important litmus tests before choosing their web hosting plans, it quite possible that after making a decision, one would be forced to change it and shift from their current hosting plan, which is definitely not very easy. So the best thing would be to lend all your efforts in the initial stages so that later on, you have an enjoyable and tension-free experience of website hosting.