French Market - web design, seo, internet in general

what's the state of the latter

[le_gber]

Bonjour tout le monde,

I was wondering if I could have some feedback from people working in France in internet related jobs (from web designers to seo to mom and pops running their own business)...

I am a self-taught french guy (widely WebmasterWorld-taught actually ;)) running a web agency in the UK, and at one point or another I WILL go back to France with everything I learned from WebmasterWorld and the my UK experience.

I have been exploring the different possibilities/options open to me:

carrying running a web agency from France (keeping my uk customers)

selling my UK business (or at least trying to) and opening a web agency in France

opening a SEO company in France and only focus on the SEO side of business

opening a French mom and pop business based on the net targetted towards French market

opening a French mom and pop business based on the net targetted towards uk/worldwide market

I'd value any feedback on:

how open/developped is the french market (from a web agency point of view and mom and pops)

how competitive is the web design line of buisess and seo line of business

how aware are people about the net in France (been in the UK for 5 years now - lost tracks of figures)

what kind of growth do you see in awareness and development of the French Market(from a web agency point of view and mom and pops)

legal requirement of running a french business (web agency or mom and pop) as a one man band to start with

what type of literature (paper or web based) do you read to be kept informed of what happend on the french internet scene

do you have to relocate in Paris to run a viable web agency (I was hoping to go under the sun - south)?

---

Also I noticed that french directories and french sites in general are more willing to advertise adult related content than here in the UK. Is that because there is no competition from non adult sites, or because only the adult related industry has noticed the value/potential of the net, or is it just a stroke of bad luck from me and I was unlucky in my searches?

Thanks for your help.

Leo

[Leosghost]

Salut....Talk to you later..I'm in Brittany ..used to be in the South ..
: )

[AndieR]

Hi there,

We're ourselves based in France... and working for the States. I suppose it pretty much answers part of your questions...

People are still telling me: "I don't want my kids on the net I'd rather have them watch reality TV..."

The wheather is nicer than in the UK though... :)

Regards,
AndieR

[le_gber]

Salut....Talk to you later..I'm in Brittany ..used to be in the South ..

S'lut

Leosghost, did you move to Brittany because you didn't have any work in the South?

AndieR, how do you overcome the time differences, not being able to go and see you customers? How do you find customers with the distance?

sorry! here are my questions again

how open/developped is the french market (from a web agency point of view and mom and pops)

how competitive is the web design line of buisess and seo line of business

how aware are people about the net in France (been in the UK for 5 years now - lost tracks of figures)

what kind of growth do you see in awareness and development of the French Market(from a web agency point of view and mom and pops)

legal requirement of running a french business (web agency or mom and pop) as a one man band to start with

what type of literature (paper or web based) do you read to be kept informed of what happend on the french internet scene

do you have to relocate in Paris to run a viable web agency (I was hoping to go under the sun - south)?

Thanks for any answers much appreciated

Leo

[Leosghost]

Salut ..
No the reasons for the move were 5 fold...
.Aging relative 86 who needs someone closer ..
.Had enough of 55 degree summers and -5 winters ..
.If I had wanted to live in the maghreb I would have gone to Tunisia..
.Levels of crime even in rural areas ..
.Have a son of 10 yrs old ..Dont want him going to school where classmates try to sell him crack at recrea'( this already is the norm in the midi ...frejus, marseille , nice etc ) ...the midi is like LA before the clean up began ...cept in the midi no one will admit there is a problem ..

[le_gber]

Leosghost,

When I said south I meant more south west than midi. My south east limit would be "les pyrenees-orientales" my northern limit would be la gironde so anything close to the sea or the mountains between those two points :).

Any experience in any of the places there? I spent a couple of weeks in St Cyprien near Perpignan it was nice.

Leo