One of the most important features when it comes to looking for small business web hosting is also one of the hardest of all to measure.

It’s also one of the least carefully considered factors and of course you know what I’m talking about now - the support you receive if you have any problems or queries with your web hosting account.

These may include queries on how to upload files, how to install scripts or problems with certain features or pages not working as they should.

You need rapid, helpful support to solve any queries you have - and ideally through a help desk rather than by email because as spam filters gain power so many emails simply don’t “get through” that an urgent problem sent by email may never even be received by your web hosts customer support center.

Customer support is very difficult to get an idea of without speaking to others who have used various small business web hosting companies in the past as of course no small business web hosting company is going to freely admit on their website that their support stinks!

On the other hand you may be able to make some educated guesses about the standards of customer care offered by any small business web host by carefully looking over their site.
Surely if customer service is high on their agenda they’re likely to be screaming about it. Do they mention the support available to you anywhere? And more importantly do they list any specific details such as how quickly they reply to queries? Do they list things they can’t or won’t advise you on?

Possibly one of the easiest ways to get an idea of the level of customer support you will likely receive from your web hosting supplier is to fire them off an email before you sign up for your small business web hosting account.

It needn’t be of any real importance.

Maybe ask them something even covered on their website such as what the bandwidth available on their accounts is or what scripts, if any, come preinstalled on their hosting accounts.

Then see how long it takes them to reply and how helpful and courteous the response is.
A good result like this should get your attention and encourage you to give them a try but I can tell you based on my own experiences that I have had great support from the two companies listed at the end of this article (and I know from speaking to others that I am not alone in this).

Lastly please bear in mind that there will always be “whingers” around. You can’t please all of the people all of the time as they say and small business web hosting is no exception. The best hosting company in the world will still have someone, somewhere complaining about their service.

What is important is the ratio of good comments to bad. If the general feeling is positive then consider them a serious contender for your business.