We've used a lot of web hosts. We've discovered problems that we didn't realize would ever BE problems. Sneaky limits that stop you from doing things you really want to do with a hosting account, to make it earn for you. Fussy things that cost you time, in ways you may never realize because you may not know that a faster way is even possible.

Our hands-down, number one recommendation for hosting, is Hostgator. They have one of the best reseller packages available, and it just WORKS.

There isn't just one reason why we use them, there are a ton. But mostly it comes down to two factors:

1. Function. It does everything we need it to do, fast, easy, and predictably.
2. Time. We don't have a lot. Their setup of Cpanel just lets us do things faster.

Here are some things we really like:

• Their "hidden specs" are generous enough that you can actually run fairly demanding scripts. You can't do streaming video or IRC, but then, you can't do those in any shared hosting environment anyway.
• The size of the accounts is larger than most reseller accounts, with no setup fee, and a reasonable monthly rate. 
• Cpanel allows us to upload compressed files and decompress them on the server, without having to use command line. We can also compress packages on the server and download them. This not only saves MAJOR time, it improves accuracy of batch file uploads and downloads (no "truncated file" problems), and preserves bandwidth.
• Cpanel allows one click backups, and has decent stats reporting.
• Hostgator has good tech support. They reply promptly, and they have helped us with every single issue we have ever taken to them.
• They have all the php goodies enabled. You know, the ones that GoDaddy and Netfirms disable to save processor power?
• They have all the functions enabled to allow WildFire DSI to run flawlessly - now, that wasn't a concern of mine until we ran into hosts that had disabled many of the core functions that allow this kind of automation to work. So far we have got it working on every server, but with many others, it is very time consuming to work out how to get around their limitations.
• Their setup means I NEVER have to set file permissions during installs. That factor alone saves me a TON of time on installs, plus I never have to hunt to find file permissions that were set wrong. Installs are faster, and troubleshooting is a breeze.
• WHMCS license is included with reseller accounts, so you have everything you need.

We've tested or used more than 20 different web hosts, and none of them met the rigorous tests that Hostgator has passed. In fact, some of them wouldn't even RUN dynamic software. We encountered impossible control panels, disabled functions that we needed, low ram limits, stats that would not track, support that stank, and more. We've been in the web business for more than 10 years, and we have been using Hostgator for almost half of that time. They've helped us keep our clients happy, and we like that.

We can't recommend Hostgator highly enough. As our business grows, they've met every challenge. As we have expanded and required more automation, we've been able to easily implement functional solutions.

Yeah, that's an affiliate link up there. But we use the affiliate link because we have reason to recommend a web host, we don't recommend Hostgator because of the affiliate link - in fact, we don't make as much from them as we could from many other hosts. They are simply the best, and we recommend them based on merit.