What's an "american website". Do you mean website in english language? Why should anyone with a website in english language target his website to an american audience only? There are only about 300,000,000 americans but more than a billion people who understand english. This is the year 2011 where a mom and pop store in Mackford Wisconsin can sell to customers in the UK, Italy, France or Germany and vice versa.

Protectionist attitudes like yours is not going to help your cause. If you could see beyond your own walls you might understand that the advent of the internet is breaking down barriers, not building them higher.

You need to adapt or else consider a different occupation. We are entering into a time of globalization. Consider that I too offer copy writing services as part of my all-inclusive services for small businesses and am quite very capable of writing for your American audience as effectively as you are capable of. My native language is French Canadian, the one I was born and raised with. Dig up some of my long-winded posts here in this forum then come back and tell me if I am not capable of writing for an American audience.

I got chased from my birth land because of protectionist attitudes like yours. I was capable of speaking English because I had bilingual parents. I also preferred speaking English because of the deeper sense of consciousness that came along with it. I settled in a new province and reinvented myself. Adapt, evolve, or get left behind.

I wouldn't be so quick to discount what the OP is saying. It's not so much 'national' differences as cultural. US/International English is an example of this, and English use is subtly different across the world.

Sure, it's not impossible for a non-native to write for a native market, but in many cases it certainly helps.

//Added

Welcome to the forums pegdip!

understand that the advent of the internet is breaking down barriers, not building them higher.

I would agree, but only in part. In practice I'm not seeing that. I would agree as an original concept. The more these barriers are broken down, the more government influence comes into play. There are entire nations blocking internet access to shiit they don't want their people to see. Breaking down barriers these days basically means going underground. It means bulletproof servers and if you don't have them baby... stay at home. Don't even play the game.

Global doesn't mean global, okay? It means at best an attempt.

The concept of the internet,, at least originally, and I was around when this baby hadn't even caught fire yet.... was about sharing. How can I get my document to you with the least amount of hassle? How can I get this communication in front of your face without having to wait?

And it worked. But then the money stepped in. Money corrupts all. I've seen it. Hell, I've done it.

You need to adapt or else consider a different occupation. We are entering into a time of globalization.

Yes, we are. It's an exciting time too. It's also a bit frightening. Globalization has resulted in premium services being marked down to next to nothing. It's resulted in quality jobs being outsourced to third world shiit holes. It's resulted, when you get right down to it, to a pretty good hit to my wallet.

Adept or else go home. I agree with that SevenCubed. I truly do. Mobile and social media are running rampant right now and I have yet to realize how I can market these. I feel like a god dang "has been" and it's WAY before my time.

I'm behind.

I'm playing "catch-up"

It's a bitch too...

wyweb

Over-seas content writers do not truly understand what motivates an American customer. U.S. Companies go overseas and actually train foreign employees to speak and think like an American. But only a true American who lives, works and has spent much time residing in America will understand how your American prospects think.

Bull-crap. I've been selling successfully to Americans for over a decade. Pretty sure I've figured out how American prospects think. They think just like the rest of us.

What's an "american website". Do you mean website in english language? Why should anyone with a website in english language target his website to an american audience only? There are only about 300,000,000 americans but more than a billion people who understand english.

Those that sell to americans only would prefer to avoid selling overseas because of the fraud that is more common in international ecommerce.

>> How can a web content writer who does NOT reside in the United States relate to how an American thinks?
I don't know "how", but they can. Some of them.
BTW, some so-called writers who do reside in the USA don't know how to write.