A common feature provided by web hosting providers nowadays are control panels. Providers that do not offer control panels are considered to be backwards despite their otherwise good service. Control panels are important for website owners and webmasters since it allows them to access the various features of their web hosting accounts with ease. The control panel is simply a panel/menu that lets the account holder see his website statistics and manage the database and email accounts under his domain name all at a glance. Some control panels even lets webmasters update their website right then and there. If you plan on self hosting you might want to look into various control panel software programs that you can use and make life easier for yourself in the long run.