When it comes to selection of control panel for a newbie then its very important that he must look on following aspect:

1. Level of support, response time of your query for both free and paid control panel
2. User friendly and logical interface.
3. Other FREE value-added services, like billing system, payment processing, scripting, DNS, Mail, DB managers etc.
4. Now days you will find couple of CP vendors offering FREE 3rd-party soft wares like free mail, statistic servers etc. This will save you a handsome amount of money at the end.
5. Only if you are a programmer, how much customization that CP support and how easily 3rd-party applications can be integrated?
6. Few experience web host may not find it significant but it’s very important for newbie (especially) that how easily control panel and its supported soft wares can be installed and integrated together. I know few CP vendors charge for installation and configuration of their application.
7. Last but not the least – Price, looks for both one-time and monthly rental options. Try to find a cheap solution for your business.

These could be few points a newbie MUST look before selecting any control panel because once you start using a CP its difficult to switch, believe me.