If you’re serious about starting a blog, and using WordPress to operate and maintain it, then finding the best possible hosting solution is going to be key. Unfortunately, the world of web hosting is a large and confusing one full of over-marketed service providers promising you the world and delivering you nothing but problems. That’s why great sites like Web Hosting Rating are so important.

The goal for the staff at Web Hosting Rating is to build the largest searchable listing of web hosts on the web. Not only do they offer just a general directory of hosts but they also include details on the plans they provide, any discount or promotional coupons the hosts are offering and, most importantly, honest reviews from actual customers.

Another great feature of their site are the articles and web hosting tutorials that they offer visitors. They cover all sorts of topics including: reseller web hosting, dedicated servers, shared hosting and security issues. While none of these articles are specific to a particular host this is a great resource for those of you new to web hosting. By spending some time reading through these articles and tutorials you’ll be better prepared to select the right hosting solution for your new blog. There are even articles that specifically mention WordPress.

One last section of the site you should check out is the collection of web hosting awards. If you’re not interested in spending a lot of time doing your own research you can visit the awards section and see which hosting provider is recommended for particular niches like “Best Budget Hosting” or “Best Blog Hosting.” This is a nice collection of web hosts for people short on time but I still recommend everyone does their own due diligence before selecting their web host.

It’s important to make the right web hosting decision at the start of your blog. If you encounter problems with your hosting after you begin blogging it’s going to be a pain to switch to a new host.