A really excellent review. I totally agree that the first thing anyone should do is take a look at their web site, is it going to be interactive, i.e. with forums, blogs etc, are they going to sell from it, via a shopping cart or is it just going to be an online brochure.

There is no point in paying for features that are not need i.e. unlimited webspace, if the site is only 2 – 3Mb in size.

When evaluating web hosts this checklist may come in useful.

1) The Company – Do they have a proven track record, are they established and environmentally aware
2) The People – All communications from the staff should be professional and knowledgeable.
3) Reliability – As a minimum they should be able to prove a 99.9% uptime record.
4) Redundancy – They should have minimal or no potential points of failure.
5) The Future – Can you upgrade easily and in a cost effective manner.
6) Infrastructure – Fast servers and networks, with expert staff and comprehensive monitoring facilities.
7) Backups – Backups should be as often as possible and checked by the host on a regular basis.
Technical Support – At a minimum email only, but preferably, email, online, live chat and telephone.
9) Responses – Should be courteous, knowledgeable and received within a good timeframe.
10) Fees – All fees should be made readily available to you, not hidden away in terms and conditions.

Regards

Compila