What do you need to look for in a top web host? Actually, there are many angles and factors you need to examine very closely before you commit to one hosting company over another. Price, of course, is always a key consideration, and well it should be. However, using price as your sole criterion in selecting a host for your company’s website should never be the primary consideration.

Because the hosting industry becomes more competitive every year, prices keep dropping. You can get web hosting for less than 200 INR a month currently. Giveaways figure prominently in web hosting advertising. One such offer that stands out prominently is unlimited bandwidth availability. Take this promise of “unlimited” bandwidth by website hosting services with a grain of salt. If you read the fine print in the usage terms of hosting companies, there is indeed an upper limit for bandwidth. This is rarely exceeded by most businesses, so for them, yes, unlimited bandwidth does mean just that–something they don’t have to worry about. So if the price isn’t the only consideration, and the promise of unlimited bandwidth isn’t really a consideration either to find a top web host, what should be?

Uptime is highly important. Uptime is the percentage of time that your hosting company promises that they can keep your website up and visible for your customers. A top web host should be able to guarantee that they can keep your website up 99.9% of the time. Anything less than this is simply unacceptable. If your customers cannot see your site, then you don’t exist at all if your business is conducted solely online. Even if you do not have a business that exists solely online, having your company’s website down is a major inconvenience, and potentially a source of lost revenue. Phone books are becoming increasingly irrelevant, as more and more people search for nearby businesses online. Often, they will look you up online first, and if they like your website, they will call you for more information or visit you in person. There is really nothing more crucial to a business than uptime.

As well as being able to keep you up and running online, a top web host will offer top-notch customer service and technical support as well. You need a web host with the ability to answer questions about your technical difficulties at any time of the day or night, every single day of the year. They should have a toll-free number to answer your queries, and a live chat option and/or e-mail technical support is highly desirable as well. A superb technical support team will make a top web host stand out head-and-shoulders above the other members of the hosting crowd.