The Internet’s most popular dating sites, such as Match, Yahoo Personals and eHarmony, attract millions of singles worldwide with not just skilled marketing techniques but a wide range of unique and savvy features. As well as being some of the earliest pioneers of Internet dating (some going back to the mid 90’s), these site also win favor by offering such things as professional, in depth personality tests or even an assurance of dating success with money back guarantees. Combining these things with state of the art features often provides a site's members with the sense of confidence they need for a successful online dating experience.
The enormous selection of potential singles that these dating mega sites offer can provide an opportune chance to greatly expand one's social circle and meet varied types of individuals that share common interests. Members can get to know others in their same locale or, in some cases, anywhere in the world. With backing of large financial resources, their sites are often highly optimized for usability and performance which ensures that a site loads quickly and members have an easy time creating profiles and using the onsite features. Plus, because of the propensity for dating sites to attract such a large number of people, the bigger sites often employ the use of a number of safeguards for the authentication of profiles. This ensures the online safety of the site's members.
With competition in the online dating world increasing by the day (the number of online dating sites is now estimated to be in the thousands), the biggest sites have had to come up with ever more innovative ways to attract and keep members. While some offer discounts for membership referrals, others go as far as to offer contests for cruises and other fantastic prizes. With some, members that choose to stay active via community features such as forums, chat or blog posts can earn prizes such as free monthly memberships. Polls, quizzes and special interest groups are commonly offered as well. These features not only make the online dating experience more valuable and enjoyable but create a sense of community and loyalty for the site. It helps to ensure people feel more comfortable mingling and getting to know each other online.
It’s estimated by some dating experts that the overwhelming majority of people seeking online romance will join one of the top five sites, while the remaining few will join one of the many thousands of smaller sites. The smaller sites can and do compete however, with many offering dating for specific niches, such as single parents or specific religions.
While the cost of membership for the leading dating sites can sometimes run a little higher, many find the perks, the number of potential partners, the ease of use and the sophisticated features well worth it. This is especially true for those who are serious about finding their romantic equal through online dating. It is not uncommon for those who have tried lesser known, less expensive dating sites, or free sites to find themselves greatly dissatisfied with the quality of their online experience meeting others. The adage "you get what you pay for" is not always true when it comes to online dating, however it is essential to find out about a site before investing a lot of time and/or money there. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the biggest and best dating sites available on the Internet today.
Match.com is one of the oldest and most trusted online dating services in the world. Since 1995, Match has offered its members an outstanding online dating experience, and their service is continually being enhanced with the latest technical innovations. Not only will those who join have access to a number of state of the art features, they are also privy to Match.com’s renowned guarantee of finding someone special within six months or receiving the next six months of membership free of charge. The site also gains much recognition thanks to a well put together and easy to navigate format. Members can easily create a comprehensive profile filled with their most essential information, upload photos and search for a compatible match just by keyword alone.
Match.com has members numbering the millions, providing a good opportunity to meet an array of different people wherever you happen to live. An added bonus comes in features such as voicemail and video profiles which give members a more authentic feel to their online experience. Along with the dating aspect, quizzes, polls, forums and similar features encourage site members to take an active role in the online community. As one of the more established online dating communities, Match has earned a more solid reputation when compared to the many thousands currently in operation.
Eharmony.com was established in 1998 by psychologist and relationship expert, Neil Clark Warren (Wikipedia), and is now one of the most well known dating websites both on and off the internet. The main feature that has won the site so much acclaim is its comprehensive personality survey that analyzes a number of traits in a person's character. These aspects are then best matched with complementary traits of other members. According to eHarmony’s research, this ensures a higher quality match that typically leads to increased chances of a successful relationship in the long run. As all members are required to take the extensive personality survey, the site is an appropriate choice only for those who are serious about finding a lasting relationship.
Eharmony.com has members numbering in the millions; however, the site is able to offer a good ratio of men to women. Rather than the traditional search through profiles, those who decide to join will be presented regularly with compatible matches. Members can then communicate but only if both parties agree. This keeps a member in complete control of his or her online dating experience. The subscription to eharmony.com could be considered somewhat higher than average; however, the focus of the site is to provide a service with bona fide results. The number of successful marriages and relationships attributed to the company is evidence of their success.
The Friendfinder network is a popular dating and social community with members running into millions. Their mainstream site, FriendFinder.com offers all who join a place to not only meet someone special but an outlet for socializing and keeping up with friends. An easy going atmosphere presents an array of individuals of all sexual preferences who can choose whether they are looking for a serious romantic relationship or just friendship. In addition to this, it is possible to find members spanning across the globe. All this together can provide a number of possibilities needed for an online dating experience that yields positive results.
Upon signing up, one can create a profile and upload their photo in a matter of minutes. Searching by location, zip code or distance can be used to find a compatible match nearby; or, members can see who's online or search the most popular profiles and use email and chat features for online fun. Friendfinder has a wealth of features such as blogs, forums, quizzes and polls allow members to stay involved and get to know the online community as a whole. Though it is possible to maintain a free standard membership, a paid subscription provides access to additional privileges and features on Friendfinder.com and enables communication with all members.
Yahoo! Personals is an extremely well known online dating site provided by the internet giant Yahoo. The service has been around since the 1990's and not only claims ten million members but thirteen international sites as well. Over the years, Yahoo! Personals has won its share of awards and now offers its members a six month promise of finding a soul mate using their service or another six months of service free of charge. Those who decide to join will find they can use their Yahoo ID to create a profile at no cost. It also means the use of a number of savvy features, including Yahoo's instant messenger.
To help wade through the vast number of profiles on the site, Yahoo! Personals offers a SmartFit personality match feature. This survey takes the key aspects of an individual's personality and matches them with members whose character and traits are most complementary. Once the results are in, members can then decide which profiles they would like to contact. To help break the ice, one can use pre written messages referred to as icebreakers and record video and voice messages to help move the online dating experience in the right direction. The site also offers tips and dating advice on how to keep online dating safe and fun.
PlentyofFish.com was founded by computer programmer Markus Frind in 2003, and is now the largest and most successful free online dating site in existence. While other sites earn their proceeds from charging their members to use certain features, Plentyoffish relies heavily on advertising revenue to support itself. Up until recently, its founder was running the site single handedly from his apartment in Vancouver, but due to the massive growth of the site, he has since hired some helpers. The site offers things such as email and chat at absolutely no charge. This can be a good option for those who want an online dating site with decent features but find themselves on a budget at the same time.
Plentyoffish does have an optional payment called “serious intent”, which doesn’t grant any extra privileges, but simply indicates a member is genuinely seeking a partner. This was introduced to tackle the major problem faced by free dating sites of separating those members who are there for genuine reasons, from scammers, time wasters and the cheats who are there to take advantage of a free service.
Plentyoffish is a very large online dating community and though the site largely caters to North America and the UK, one will find numerous members from around the world. To help make finding a compatible match easier, the site offers the chance to take a chemistry test. This unique feature uses carefully placed algorithms to analyze certain personality traits and characteristics. Upon completion, the results are then matched to members with balancing qualities. Once a week, compatible matches are sent to a member's onsite email account where he or she can then decide whether or not to make contact.
SinglesNet is known for attracting a large number of people to its site thanks to attractive perks and a simple design. Free trials let an individual get a firsthand look at the site to ensure it has all the aspects they are looking for in a dating website. Once the decision has been made to join, new members can create their own account in less than a minute and be on their way to browsing profiles. A free standard membership is offered to all who sign up and join; however, those who upgrade to a paid membership are given greater access to perks and are able to fully communicate with other members.
SinglesNet boasts a community of over five million. With members of every age, race, nationality and sexual preference, the chances of meeting someone special boosts markedly. To keep the process smooth, a state of the art search tool makes finding a compatible match in one's local area or across the globe an easy task. Other features such as email and chat that help members get to know each other are user friendly and help members stay well organized. Not only can members use their email to communicate, one can also receive notices when a compatible profile has been created.
