I do business about 10 years in web design. I create sites in Wordpress and web applications in Nette framework.
The market where I live is very small. For this reason I’m trying to break into the U.S.
In this context I would like to ask for advice (I guess that will usefull for others)
How to visible my site? Should I register in some directories?
There are sites with the demand for websites?
I have a chance without office in the U.S.? Without a location?
What are the specifics of a typical US client?
Which service should I use for payment, except PayPal? What are accustomed to U.S. Customers?
If you get on Elance, you’ll find plenty of US clients who are just looking for the absolute lowest price. But, really you don’t want those types of clients - they will be painful and unprofitable.
If you want to take advantage of the exchange rate you have to provide value but also demonstrate:
professionalism
communication skill (very important)
reliability
cultural understanding of how US clients work/think
You can do very well in the US market if you can make your site attractive to what US clients want. Looking at your website, my reaction is that it would not be that attractive to US clients because of the level of professionalism, language, and also maybe the name. But mostly, you just need to make a very clear plan of what you are trying to offer to the market, and then make sure your message is very clear to your audience.
If you get on Elance, you’ll find plenty of US clients who are just looking for the absolute lowest price. But, really you don’t want those types of clients - they will be painful and unprofitable.
elance, odesk, guru etc. is good for first job but in long term… yes, you are right. it will be painful.
If you want to take advantage of the exchange rate you have to provide value but also demonstrate:
professionalism
communication skill (very important)
reliability
cultural understanding of how US clients work/think
I studied IT. I have many years of experience. Well-known technology. I am interested in what is happening around. But I don’t know the U.S. market, U.S. customers. And I have an average comunication/language skills.
But I can offer a good price vs quality ratio. Thus I make up for my average knowledges.
You can do very well in the US market if you can make your site attractive to what US clients want. Looking at your website, my reaction is that it would not be that attractive to US clients because of the level of professionalism, language, and also maybe the name. But mostly, you just need to make a very clear plan of what you are trying to offer to the market, and then make sure your message is very clear to your audience.
I agree. My site is still in progress. I keep the motto by Mark Twain: Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.
I’d like to add a pricing plan and description of the process of making a site step by step.
Do you have any concrete idea how to improve the site?
It’s not really clear how you can make up for average communication skills with a good price. The communication skills ARE the key service that you need to offer unless your development skills are so great and unusual that it makes up for it. I’m not hearing that.
It’s like saying, “I’ll give you a great deal on a car, and the great deal should make up for the fact that it’s not a very good car”.
I would improve the site by:
getting it edited by a native English speaker, the language is a little sloppy
making it more professional and less whimsical
being more clear about your strengths and offerings
WrongWare. The idea was, stand out from the crowd (marketing). Play the “bad guys” and would-be do bad things. Stylize team in mafia/gangster cartoon characters, etc.
I understand it correctly, that is not funny excesses space. American customer is conservative. Takes it seriously. Irony / sarcasm does not have much chance.