If you are looking for a web host the thing you should look at the most is reliability. By surveying people who run sites and people who run online stores, this has become clear.

It is not easy to describe all of the components of reliability. Except in glaringly obvious exceptions, most web hosting companies know what they are doing, have the newest equipment to do it, and charge around the same to do it for you. The main difference between them, then becomes how they deal with you, and how good their customer service is.

The important question becomes, "How can I get a quick, direct resolution for problems with my website?" Unfortunately, fast and simple solutions can be hard to come by.

When you are discussing a problem with the technical support person for your web host, it might seem like they are on the line with a few other people at the same time. This is because of the number of clients they have, and the fact that when something goes wrong, almost all of those clients will be on the phone. This can make for difficult conversations to resolve the issue.

A good technical support person will use a helpful tone of voice and offer solutions. They will assume that you are basically competent and not automatically assume that you have somehow caused the problem at your end. After all, they are most qualified to check out problems at their end.

This kind of troubleshooting is understandable, since the user side can be the source of the problem. The frustration arises because, in many cases, the hosting end is the trouble. Hours can be wasted looking at the user's website even though rebooting the host's server is the proper solution.

Unfortunately many web hosting tech support people just do not understand the importance of customer service. They often consider themselves superior to their clients. And they have been able to get away with shoddy, unfriendly service because it is just too inconvenient for clients to change hosts.

Many hosts will assist you if you want to transfer your domain to their system. Alternatively, there is now enough step-by-step information available for you to change hosts on your own. This is definitely a welcome change.

There will always be some risk involved; there is no absolute predictor of whether you are likely to get dependable, helpful customer service.

You can try looking at web host review sites to get some comparisons between hosts. But unfortunately many of these sites are themselves not reliable. For one thing, they are usually trying to resell hosting services, so the "reviews" are often tainted. For another, if they contain comments and reviews by the public, these can also be manipulated. Some hosts will post bogus reviews praising their own services and criticising those of their competition.

Forums on sites about web hosting can also supply reliable information, though they may be subject to the previously mentioned manipulations. However, the rapid pace of change in the web hosting industry means that comments over a year old are probably no longer applicable.

A great idea is to begin by examining the website of the host and if it is sort of perplexing or full of jargon, it may mean that the host does not care about communicating with clients. Usually, this tips you off to a problem that you might find navigation of their support structure difficult or that just getting a plainly worded answer to your questions could be extremely difficult.

You can tell if a company is customer focused by their website. You are looking for a simple layout and products designed for the customer, combined with a support system that is easy to work with. Contact customer service before you have a problem, and see if they are willing to work with you.

A quick but thorough check of recommendations by actual web hosting clients would prove helpful if they include their names and website addresses. To be more proactive, try writing or calling these users yourself.

Of course none of this is fool-proof. But given the highly competitive nature of the web hosting business, all other things being equal, a simple, straightforward customer-focused approach is what you should be looking for in a web host.

When looking for reliable, affordable web hosting see 2mhost.com where quality hosting starts at only $2.75 per month. You only pay for what you need at 2mhost. Howard Brule does article marketing that rocks.