Akismet (by Automattic) -- weird name but it is handy to kill off annoying comments who leave spam on your website! This is already pre-installed on all WordPress accounts, you just need to activate it by signing up for an API key.
The package costs $6.95 a month and includes stuff that thankfully is very useful. For example you get a free domain, site promotion package and a free Ecommerce shopping cart for setting up online stores.
However, before we go any further let me make it perfectly clear that there is a reason why realtors make a 3% commission...they work for it. If you try to sell your own house without using a realtor, you too will quickly learn that selling a home is hard work.
While you do not have to register your domain through the same company that you host your blog with, if you are a beginner it may be easier to do so and you may save yourself the $10 registration fee as well. The only hosting company I ever recommend is Bluehost. I use Bluehost for all my websites and I now have over twenty different sites. Not only do they have everything you need to quickly and easily set up you blog, but they also have 24/7 customer service that is second to none.
I've done some stupid technical stuff with my websites as I've learned to build websites. One day I absent-mindedly re-installed WordPress on an established website with a lot click here of content. When you re-install WordPress over a site, you lose the entire site. That's what happened to me. Months of effort vanished in seconds.
Conclusion: Overall our experience with BlueHost is most pleasant. They have shown us that their server is very reliable, even thought the price is a bit above what other companies offer, it's still great price value. Their support and technical team is also good. So if you are looking for a new web host, BlueHost should be a serious consideration.