My boot brand recommendation in general is Danner, they can get pricey but they’re worth it, and many of them can be recrafted with new soles, liners, etc.

But brands recommendations are very individual, some people swear by one brand or another while someone else may think that those brands are the most uncomfortable shoes in the world.

And really it also all depends on what you want to do with your boots. If you just need something to get from the front door to the car and then into the office, probably you don’t really need much. Any decent waterproof hiking or work boot is probably more than sufficient. Rubber rain/muck boots could work well with some heavy socks, you can even find some designed to fit over regular shoes if you want to take them off when you get to work and not have to wear boots all day. You also may want to go a half size or so large depending on how thick your winter socks are, so make sure you’re wearing whatever socks you intend to wear with your boots when you go to try them on.

I tend to like taller boots that I can tuck my pants into so they don’t get wet if I’m trudging through snow and slush, or you can also get gaiters to cover the bottom of your pants.

Traction on snow isn’t usually a huge problem, but if things get icy or slushy I’ve never really found any pair of regular rubber soled boots that inspired a lot of confidence. I usually use some sort of slip-on ice cleats if I’m going to be dealing with that, personally I’ve had the best luck with kahtoola microspikes, I tried a couple yaktrax models and they always seemed to break on me partway through the winter, but I’m sure some people have had the opposite experience or have other brands they like. I also had a pair of cheap logger boots for a while with a thick sole that I screwed some fishing wader studs into, and that worked pretty well but probably only worth it if you’re going to be outside for a long time and don’t mind having to change your shoes when you come in.

If you’re expecting to be outside for an extended period of time, avoid steel toes unless you really need them, that toe cap can get cold.

Pac boots are sort of the gold standard for insulated boots if you do decide you want that. They have a removable inner bootie that you can take out to dry faster between uses if they get wet

Insulated hunting boots are a pretty good bet, again I like Danner, but there’s certainly other good brands out there. I also know a lot of people who really like LL Bean style duck boots.

Also as far as cold weather boots go, I think the military style “Mickey Mouse” or “Bunny” Boot is always worth mentioning. They are almost certainly overkill for anything you’re likely to get up to, and you certainly won’t win any best-dressed awards in them, but if you find a pair in a military surplus store or something, I’m pretty confident that you will never find a warmer, more waterproof boot in your life, arguably they’re probably even too warm and waterproof unless you happen to live in the Arctic circle

Most importantly get some good wool or synthetic socks, cotton looses basically all insulation value if it gets wet, and even if your boots are 100% waterproof, even just sweating in your socks will make your feet cold eventually, so be prepared to change your socks if you need to. You can also get thin sock liners for extra insulation/moisture wicking, and can also help prevent blisters (instead of your sock rubbing against your foot causing friction and eventually blisters, you have one layer of sock sliding against another. I wear synthetic sock liners with my heavier cushioned hiking socks even in the middle of summer.) I’m a fan of darn tough socks personally.