West Virginia Internet service providers, or ISPs, connect their customers to the Internet in exchange for a fee. A national ISP will grant access to subscribers in much of the nation while a local ISP will limit users to a specific geographic region.

A small business should consider a separate web hosting company to maintain its website instead of using the web space from West Virginia Internet providers. Businesses with high-traffic sites may require a large national company that can provide mirroring and redundant connections for their websites.

The first consideration in deciding which of the ISPs in West Virginia to use is the type of access you want:

1. Dial-up access uses a telephone line and is the slowest connection. You must dial in to the West Virginia ISP and you'll frequently have a limit on your connection time.

2. Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, access also is available through the phone in most areas. However, DSL is much faster than a dial-up connection and normally provides dedicated access.

3. West Virginia broadband providers have the fastest connections small business owners in West Virginia can generally afford. Internet services in West Virginia also offer high-speed cable Internet access.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate a WV high-speed ISP that offers cable access to small businesses

ISPs in West Virginia that provide an always-on cable connection are frequently the best deal for small businesses. Some national ISPs offer packages tailored to the size of your business.

I recommend: Cox's business division offers Internet service solutions for businesses of all sizes and allows you to customize your service with many additional options. Comcast is a West Virginia high-speed Internet provider that has a cable access package specifically designed for small businesses.

Find WV Internet providers that offer DSL service

Many ISPs design DSL packages for business owners throughout much of the nation. Businesses can bundle multiple services together, such as Internet and web hosting, to get a better deal from the ISP.

I recommend: EarthLink offers a range of services for businesses of different sizes and features symmetrical DSL, which allows you to upload as fast as you can download. Speakeasy offers a range of DSL technologies aimed at small businesses, including ADSL, ADSL2 and SDSL.

Check out the access packages from a local WV ISP

A rural business may have to depend on a small, local WV Internet service provider. ISPs in West Virginia frequently offer wireless DSL service for these businesses.

I recommend: 3W Logic provides commercial class access to a satellite Internet. West Virginia businesses in the north-central part of the state can access this network. Wave2Net.com offers a service package for small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use West Virginia Internet providers with a Tier 3 rating or better, especially if you are running a small business. The tier rating establishes the ISP's proximity to the Internet and generally how fast its access will be, all other things being equal. Tier 1 ISPs are linked directly to the Internet; Tier 2 ISPs lease their connections from Tier 1 ISPs and so on.