A good starting point is to visit some of the sites currently hosted by a prospective provider. Do the sites respond quickly and without error? Are any sites down or unavailable? These should be warning signs. Ask for input from friends and associates. Are they happy with their provider?
Next ensure a hosting company provides all the technical requirements your website will need. You web developer should be able to verify this for you. Also review what backup strategies the provider offers and any extra costs involved.
Beware of overselling. Terms such as unlimited, no maximum etc, should raise concerns. Reasonable limits for items such as space, bandwidth etc, are good indicators of a well managed service provider.
Use your favourite search engine to find some reviews or forums which discuss hosting companies and real world experiences.
Happy Hosting.
