There are mainly two types of web hosting providers, shared and dedicated web hosting and the latter is much more expensive. If you are a new comer to the website and internet field, I suggest to start with a shared web hosting provider.
If you are lucky you will find a company that offers free installations and assistance with pre-installable forums, cms or traffic statistics and some even give you a free domain. The web hosts can provide such cheap prices without compromising in service quality by offering what is called Shared Web Hosting UK.
Databases are used by websites that run things like forums, message boards and shopping carts. Any site where you can register an account will have some form of database. Generally one database is used per website function. Not all Shared Web Hosting UK hosts offer databases as standard and often charge extra for the facility. More is always better when it comes to selecting your provider.
Then you will need to look at the uptime. If web hosting companies give you guarantee uptime, look at it carefully. Most of the reliable hosting providers will give you guarantee uptime around 99 %.
Another key ingredient to finding Affordable Web Hosting is to make sure the control panel is simple to use. Most people that own websites aren't programmers. The webhost should provide you with an easy-to-use program that allows you to manage the site. If possible, try to see a demo. This is a great way to really get a feel for the controls. It's the equivalent of taking a car for a test-drive. See how your website might look sitting behind 'the wheel' of their control panel.
This will irk the smaller hosts, but if your site is a serious one, put it on a serious host. Web hosting costs peanuts these days. People can be funny about spending an extra $5 a month. You'll wish you'd paid $500 when your site goes skew-whiff, and you can't get a reply from their technical support.
These 3 companies have proven themselves to thousands of customers over the years and all offer an affordable web hosting plan that will be right for your situation.