As you have probably discovered, there are hundreds of dating sites on the internet. I found over 350 dating sites when I started the Dating Services and Tips dating review site.
With so many dating sites, how do you even know which one is the right one for you?
I believe there are 11 essential criteria to a great dating site. You can decide which, if any, are of importance to you when choosing a site.
1. Large Member Base
Does the site have a large number of members? Does the site have a large number of members in your area?
2. Creating a Unique Profile
Are you able to personalize your profile by either writing about yourself and what you’re looking for in your words or do you just pick choices from a list of options?
3. Viewing a Profile
Can free members view the profiles of other members? It makes sense to join a dating site as a free member in order to check it out and see if it’s worth upgrading to a premium membership. If you can’t view a profile, how can you tell if the site has the type of people you’re interested in dating?
4. Methods of Contacting Members
A dating site does need to make money in order to provide their service. Paid members will naturally have access to more features than free members. Can free members, at the very least, read messages sent from paid members? If a free member can’t read an email sent by a paid member, is it really worth it for the paid member to belong to the site?
Does the site have other ways of connecting with members? For example, can you connect via a chat room, instant messenger, blogs etc.?
5. Pricing and Payment Options
Does the dating site offer multiple pricing options and payment methods, including free memberships?
6. Methods of Searching for Members
Before purchasing a membership, search to see how many potential daters live in your area. Does the site allow you to search? Can you see when the person was last online? Who cares if there are 500 potential dates in your city if only 10 of them have been at the site in the last two weeks or months!
7. User Friendly
Is the site user friendly and easy to use?
8. Handling of Abuse /Safety Issues
Does the site protect your personal information? Do they have a process for handling abuse? Can you block users from contacting you if they’re hassling you?
9. Technical Support and Customer Service
Is technical support and customer service easy to contact? Do they get back to you within a reasonable amount of time?
10. Other Important Features
Is the site professional looking? Are you inundated with pop-up or pop-under ads?
11. Bonus Points for Extra/Unique Features
Does the site have a personality test or matching system unique to them.? Do they do a criminal check of members?
Make a list of criteria that is important to you. When you look at various dating sites, see if the site meets your ‘must-have’ requirements.
Here’s our list of the dating sites we’ve reviewed, by category: Dating Site Reviews.