Online dating is huge and it’s continuing to grow — especially with our reliance on mobile phones. With this in mind, the key to creating a successful dating app is in the foundation of the speed and accuracy.
For developing the best dating site, here are six tips.
Web design and creation is a real career path for millennials, and online dating has disrupted the more traditional methods of meeting other singles. It’s only natural for smart entrepreneurs to set their sights on dating websites as the way to make their mark on the internet and break into success.
Yet with so many online dating sites available, the path to creating one that’s not just successful but exceptional is unclear. Here are 5 tips to get you started on making the next best dating website.
- Research the Competition
The top dating sites are at the head of the pack for a reason, so instead of starting from scratch, learn from their example. What features are most popular within their site? How do they match up their singles, how much information does their profile ask for, and what are their marketing efforts? By taking a lead from the experts, you can jump over their mistakes and instead focus on how you’re going to use their strengths – and then make those strengths unique. Also, take inspiration from non-dating related sites for tips on web design and marketing. Is there a site that really stands out to you? Study it. What about their colors, content, or outreach makes them unique?
- Choose the Right Site Builder
According to eHarmony, “There are 40 million Americans using online dating websites,” and one can assume there are nearly as many dating websites in existence. Some soar and some flop, and the main secret is the build. Your platform must be appealing to the eye, unique, easy to navigate, and tap into the latest wants of the current audience. What made a great website five years ago doesn’t make a good website now. Research the top website builders other top dating sites or successful sites in general are using, and experiment with how it performs for you.
- Have a Unique Selling Point
You need a reason to steal away users from other sites and make them recommend you as a first choice. This lies in a unique selling point. Whether you’re targeting hookups, older singles, LGBT+, singles between 20 and 25, or any other number of audiences, the important thing to remember is: what are you offering that no one else is? Perhaps you offer a safer way to communicate, with recommendations on meeting sites to make your users feel more comfortable. Perhaps you’re catering to an ultra refined audience, such as lesbians over 40. Perhaps you offer a virtual meeting site for your users. Find something that few other sites have, and capitalize on it.
- Remember: Flirty But Classy
In a sea of online dating, the best dating websites are the ones who understand the fine balance between classy and flirty. Granted, you will find users who want something a little more exotic in their dating experience, but as a whole, this will scare off people. Look at eHarmony and Match.com; those are sites that offer connections for everyone, no matter what they’re looking for, without being offensive. Be sure to craft your web content to be flirty and intriguing, but with a tone of respect. This also applies to the privacy restrictions and the way online chat is moderated. Nude photos as profile pictures and explicit content in chats should be restricted, so users can feel confident, respected, and safe using your site.
- Create a Mobile App
Mobile application creation may not be your forte, but the days of sitting down at your computer to chat with others in waning. According to Smart Insights, “Mobile digital media time in the US is now significantly higher at 51% compared to desktop (42%)” As a whole, most people talk to friends, browse social medias, and enjoy their down time through their phone, so offer a mobile app where users can check in with their connections easily. Designing a mobile app that is simplistic and to the point is acceptable, so long as one exists, but the more unique you make it, the more tempted users will be to visit it during lunch breaks or when they don’t want to fetch their laptops.
- A Formula for Love
Well, not so much a formula so much as an algorithm. If you have more than a handful of users with more than a dozen traits or interests each, you’ll need some computerized assistance in quickly determining a user’s best match according to their location, age, sexuality, interests, type, behaviors and more. It’s not easy but this may be the most important investment when creating a successful dating site.
Online dating is the next big trend to cash in on, but only if you create a site that captures all a user wants. By taking advantage of these tips, you’ll have the foundation for one that stands apart.
