I think it's best if I ask this question with an example scenario.

Let's say your mom-and-pop local hardware store has never had a website, and they want you, the freelance developer to build them a website. You have all the skills to run a LAMP setup and admin a system, so the difficult question you ask yourself is - where will I host it? As you aren't going to host it out of the machine in your apartment.

Let's say you want to be able to customize your own system, install the version of PHP you want, and manage your own database. Perhaps the best kind of hosting is to get a virtual machine so you can customize the system as you see fit. But this essentially a "set it and forget it" site you make, bill by the hour for, and then are done. In other words, the hosting should not be an issue.

Given the requirements of hosting a website:

• Unlimited growth potential needing good amounts of bandwidth to handle visitors
• Wide range of system and programming options allowing it to be portable
• Relatively cheap (not necessarily the cheapest) or reasonable scaling cost
• Reliable hosting with good support
• Hosted entirely on the host company's hardware

Who would you pick to host this website? Yes I am asking for a business/company recommendation. Is there a clear answer for this scenario, or a good source that can reliably give the current answer?

I know there are all kinds of schemes out there. I'm just wondering if any one company fills the bill for freelancers and stands out in such a crowded market.