I think the best way to search for a good web host is by using a web hosting directory so that you can see what sort of prices they charge for what they are offering.

Once you have search through the directory and found some good plans that interest you from a few web hosting providers. I would then go to a web hosting related forum like this one and ask people their own experiences with them. If you get bad comments about some of the ones that you have chosen, they are the ones that you need to dump and then keep the ones that you have had good comments about.

After that, If you still have more than one to choose from I would write another thread with a forum poll asking which is the best out of them.