There are a few things you should consider when selecting a web host. There are different criteria for choosing a commercial web host and a free web host, but some of the concepts tend to overlap.
Most free web sites are free because they post advertisements on your site to cover the cost of providing a free service. Some hosts require a banner; some put pop-ups on your site and others use an advertising frame, which can cause search engine problems. Be wary of web hosts that offer free service without ads, without money from the ads to cover their server costs; they tend to shut down rather quickly.
You want to be sure the web host you choose has enough space to accommodate your needs. If you anticipate an expansion of your site, you may want to plan ahead for enough space. Most web sites need no more than five megabytes of space, but the space required will depend on your site features such as sound, video and pictures.
Some other points of interest you should keep in mind when choosing a web host are FTP access, file type and limitations, reliability, access speed, CGI-BIN access, PHP and bandwidth allotment.