In David Viney’s book, Get to the Top on Google, he reveals that Google tracks what is called “timed-out_queries_total”. Although it is not known for sure why they track this variable, the logical conclusion is that this is factored into how Google ranks the importance of websites. When a site performs poorly in this area, it is perceived to be a low quality site without much importance. Having a poor hosting provider could very well have a negative impact on your Google ranking. And it also doesn’t encourage users to frequent your site if the pages load slowly or they constantly receive server error messages.

The best advice is to choose a hosting provider that has been around the block for a while. New hosting companies turn up every day and many bite the bullet every day too. Many of these providers over-sell their technical capabilities and thus under-perform when you need them most.

Check out Internet forums, such as Web Hosting Talk, and find out which hosting companies to avoid and which have a proven track record. Ask fellow webmasters what hosting providers they use to help you make your decision. Make this decision carefully because it could be one of the more important SEO moves that you make.