The best way to get a good pair of shoes is to be able to try them on and take them for a test run.  If you want to order them online make sure you can return them if they do not fit properly.  You do not want to wear shoes that do not work for you, you will regret it.  It can be best to get a good fitting and have an analysis of your running gait, but it isn’t always necessary, so here are a few tips to help you out:

• Get a pair that is 1 – 1.5 sizes bigger than your everyday shoe.
• Try the shoes on late in the day when your feet are swollen if you cannot take them for a test run.  This will compensate for the fact that your feet swell when you run.
• Be sure to get a wide pair of shoes if you need them.  Your toes help you balance so you need them to be free to spread.
• Wear socks that are similar to what you will be wearing when you run.  If you plan to wear thick socks in the winter, make sure they are going to fit in the shoe or be prepared to get a separate pair of winter shoes. 
• You want a thumb width space between the top of your longest toe and the top of the shoe – on both shoes – so your toes will not bang against the front.
• Run a few laps in them through the aisle.  Your feet should not feel crammed but there should be no slippage – too big of a shoe can cause blisters and soreness in your feet as they are constantly trying to hold your shoe on.
• The shoe should be flexible and not stiff.  It should bend right after the toe box as they would when you run.
• If possible you also want a shoe that is not clunky.  Try to stick with a lighter shoe.
• Be sure the type of shoe is made for the type of terrain you will be running – track, road, racing or trail.

If your budget allows it, get two pairs of shoes, either the same kind or different ones, and then alternate in wearing them.  It allows the foam to fully bounce back during their “rest days” so that they are not constantly compressed from being used every day.