Selecting your perfect hosting package can be a minefield, which is not made easier by some companies and the information they provide on there websites.
Therefore it is worth looking out for any potential hidden charges that may come your way, some of these are as follows:
Connection or set up fees
Some hosting packages have a one off set up fee that you have to pay in order to sign up to a package, this is sometimes not visible on the website until you have made the decision to purchase and are on the ordering screen.
Unlimited data transfers
Many providers offer unlimited transfers, but these can be subject to an acceptable use policy which will restrict your transfers (or make you incur additional charges), which can be of detriment to your business.
File size limits
There can be limits imposed on the size of files stored, this is a less common one, but nonetheless is worth looking out for.
Website hit limits
Hosting packages can have limits on how many hits your website recieves and can prevent any additional visitors once this limit is achieved (again this is not common)
Uptime guarantees
Hosting providers will guarantee that the servers are up for a specific amount of time, but there is often caveats around this that can devalue such guarantees
Daily transfer limits
This is where hosting providers or packages onlyu allow a limited amount of data to be transferred per day, this can be a particular problem if you have lumpy file transfer profiles, with some big and some small days
FTP transfer limits
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is how you transfer files to your hosting provider (I.e. to the server where your data or site is stored), the amount you can upload can be limited, although this is very limited
Domain name costs
Domains are often given free with packages, but sometimes you have to pay extra for them and they can come at a premium and can be purchased at a much cheaper rate when bought from elsewhere
Additional costs for additional usage
You may need to use more data transfers or storage space than your particular hosting package allows. This can often be quite expensive and in some cases be more than you pay for the package itself.
Customer support
How easy it is to contact your hosting provider may be important to you, especially if it is business critical. Therefore note what methods of contact are available, as some only allow web based contact or e-mail and have no means of contacting them in any other way, such as by phone.
Email access
Access to emails can be key and the form in which you can view these is important. Some providers only give you access via webmail, which can be slow and very basic, this can mean you spend to much time administering your emails, POP access is likely to suit your needs better and improve efficiency
Note that not all hosting providers have these potential charges, as many are clear in what they offer, but as there is a vast number of providers out there, it is worth knowing what to look out for.