Evaluation of a Web host may get complicated due to competitor offerings of wide ranging hosting designs, service packages and contract options. Here are some questions and hints to help you reach a better deal:

Focus on Your Critical Needs
There is no such thing as a standard service level agreement. Providers develop SLAs based on their own specific offerings. The key is to compare like features with like features having a sharp focus on your desperate needs such as availability of uptime, notification of problems and credit for outages.

What Level of Service Availability can you Afford?
Everybody wants 100 percent service availability; something almost impossible. On the other hand, providers can deliver 99.99 percent uptime but that may get expensive to achieve. So, set realistic expectations on your desired service uptime and then negotiate for the highest option that is affordable. Typically 99.97 percent availability -- around 14 minutes of downtime per month -- is both realistic and affordable. 

Are Response Time and Customer Notification Metrics Covered in SLA?
Choose a company with a good track record in supporting, measuring and reporting functions covered in its SLA. Ideally, customers need to be alerted immediately in case of problems followed by reports that measure and verify compliance with the SLA.

How Does the Provider Calculate and Pay Downtime Credit?
A typical SLA must specify methodology of paying downtime credit. Some companies pay credit equal to a day’s fees for 15 minutes of downtime beyond SLA. In the present competitive market, a company must continuously monitor site operations and pay for service outages as a token of sharing responsibility.