Things to look for in a web hosting company

v1x writes: I have had an account with my current web hosting company for a few years, with 3 domains being hosted there (using: linux/php/MySQL). Recently, all three of these websites stopped functioning, and upon checking the site, all my directory structures were intact, whereas all of the files were gone. Upon contacting their technical support, I was given the run-around, and later informed by one of their administrators that none of the files could be restored. Needless to say that I am looking for a different web hosting company at this point, but I would like to make a more informed choice than I did with the current company. Do slashdotters have recommendations on what to look for when choosing a web hosting company? I have read a similar slashdot article on the topic, but the questions posed there were slightly different, and that article was posted at least 5 years ago. Thank you.