1. What is your Web Hosting Company's priority? Are YOU their number one priority? Are they focused on delivering service that will delight above all else?

Ensure that your Web Hosting company is dedicated to putting their client first in all they do. Obviously all companies out there will say that they are committed to quality service - but these words can be hollow. Ask them to see their track record of pleasing clients. Ask them to see their Client's comments about their service. If they have pleased people just like you before you can be sure that they will please you as well!

2. Does your Web Hosting Company have a landline number you can contact them on?

Make sure that they have a land line number as cellphone numbers or no contact numbers at all usually mean that the company does not have an office. In this way you are assured that you can speak to someone in person should you ever have to! Can you phone your Web Hosting Company and ask them questions now?

3. Are the Web Hosting Company's servers monitored 24 hours for downtime?

Make sure that if the server on which your website resides is continually monitored in case your website crashes - you want as little downtime as possible.

4. How long has your Web Hosting Company been running for?

There is nothing as frustrating as setting up your website only to have the Web Hosting Company disappearing and forcing you to start from scratch again. Make sure the Web Hosting Company is financially stable and in the hosting game for the long term.

5. How fast is your website going to be?

Make sure that your Web Hosting Company 'backbone' connection to the internet is superfast - Ask them exactly where your website is going to be hosted. Ask them to set-up a test website on their servers so you can see the speed your site is going to be.

6. How many clients does your Web Hosting Company have?

Make sure that they provide excellent service to many clients - This will protect you against a company's service levels decreasing as the number of clients they have increase. This will also set your mind at ease that they can do the job - If they have many clients then you can be assured that they are good at what they are doing!

7. Does your Web Hosting Company register your domain in your name or theirs?

PLEASE make sure that your Web Hosting Company has registered your domain in YOUR name and not theirs. As long as it is in yours it will be possible to move to another Web Hosting Company without your website being held hostage.

8. Are your Web Hosting Company's web servers secure?

Make sure that they are continually protecting their servers against all those viruses and hackers out there. Ensure that they have a security expert looking at their server security daily. Make sure your website is not easy meat for the hackers out there!

9. If you sign up with your Web Hosting Company how quickly can you have your website up and running?

Let's face it - you want your domain registered ASAP. Make sure that your Web Hosting Company systems immediately begin the registration and setup process - You don't want your new domain registered by someone else in the time it takes your Web Hosting Company to register it!

10. Does your Web Hosting Company continually backup all the websites on their web servers?

Make sure that if there is a disaster there is a backup of your important website files! Make sure that your Web Hosting company not only backups but backups off site away from their main servers in case of fire or any other calamity.

11. Do you have your own account for your website so that you can upload changes to your website 24 hours a day?

Ensure that you have your own, unique FTP account so that you can make changes to your website whenever you wish by connecting directly to your Web Hosting Company's servers