Before you define the best web host, you need to know your website first. If you have a small personal website just with few pages and simple striping, you don't need to think about using VPS or dedicated hosting service. Probably a cheap hosting or even a free web hosting will be the best choice for you. If you have a big e-commerce website with many functions, cheap host may not good enough. So certainly know what kind of website you have that will help you define the best web host. Reliability is the key to success on internet. The best web host should have solid infrastructure and technology system. This is the foundation of uptime guarantee and satisfaction guarantee.
Some web hosts just offer email or online ticket support for their hosting services. This is not acceptable. If a web hosting company has no 24/7 telephone support, it is not worth to take the risk to use its service. When websites get troubles, some body from the technical support team should be always available to solve the problems. 24/7 telephone support is absolutely an important criteria of defining the best host. If two web hosting companies offer same hosting services, the one that offers cheaper price is better than the other one. Under same hosting service conditions, the low cost price hosting means that you will get more investment return.