Things to Consider When
Choosing a Dating Site

With tens of millions of singles using online dating services each month, using an online dating site is an easy way to expand your current options. If you’re looking to get married, you’ll want to choose a service with similarly marriage-minded singles, such as eHarmony or Chemistry.com. If you prefer casual romances or brief encounters you may also enjoy sites such as Lavalife that cater to singles that prefer short-lived pleasure over permanence. And, of course, if just want to meet someone and see where things go, using a dating site with the largest possible user base, such as Match.com, can provide you with endless possibilities.

You may be surprised to learn that in addition to offering reasonable pricing, many online dating sites also offer coupons, discounts or even free extended memberships. Membership fees can vary greatly from service to service. Yahoo! Personals, for example, costs only $15.99/month for a 6-month subscription, while a 1-month subscription to eHarmony or PerfectMatch can cost up to $59.95/month. And, of course, most online dating sites offer free trials or free access to select services so that you can see for yourself which site you enjoy the most.

Tired of being attracted to the wrong type of person or getting set up with losers? Compatibility matching services offered by sites like Chemistry.com and eHarmony have successfully suggested thousands of long-term matches based on personality, scientific “Dimensions of Compatibility” and other specific qualities. Other sites such as Yahoo! Personals offer powerful search features that enable you to find a match based on the criteria that is most important to you. If you’re not sure which type of online dating will best suit your needs you can also try a site that offers both such as Match.com, which combines extensive search features with compatibility matching technology that provides 5 recommended matches daily.

If you are set on meeting singles from a particular demographic, you may be surprised to learn that many of the mainstream dating sites, such as Match.com and eHarmony, have more members belonging to specific ethnic and religious groups than most of the targeted niche dating sites, such as BlackPeopleMeet.com and ChristianCafe.com. The same holds true for gay and senior dating sites. Additionally, mainstream dating sites have developed powerful search features that can help you eliminate irrelevant singles and find a partner with a compatible background.

While some singles prefer to express themselves openly and honestly online, others prefer to keep their identity private. For this reason, most online dating sites offer a variety of privacy and security options. Yahoo! Personals, for example, allows you to browse profiles without publicizing your own profile. Sites such as Match.com, in contrast, also offer expanded publicity features if you want your profile to draw additional attention. If you prefer privacy, you should be aware that in some cases like on PerfectMatch, if you hide your profile you cannot receive match suggestions. Your privacy settings can be easily adjusted in the profile section of most online dating sites.

Few things can replace the excitement of an introductory wink or flirty smile, which is why many dating sites such as Match.com offer a range of communication options from virtual ‘winks’ to online ‘ice breakers’. If you want to get a better visual impression of your potential date you can also consider sites such as Lavalife which offers video communication. Some dating sites however, such as Chemistry.com and eHarmony, only offer compatibility matching and therefore do not even allow you to communicate with others at all unless you were introduced by the sites’ matchmaking systems. Services such as these may be ideal for you if you prefer to remain anonymous.

While you can do without most of the extra features they offer, some dating sites have features that really stand out and should be taken into consideration when you decide on a service. Match.com, for example, offers mobile dating where you can login securely from your cell phone. Chemistry.com offers free help with creating your profile so that they can offer the most relevant matches possible. eHarmony offers a free personality assessment that can help you better understand yourself and pinpoint exactly what you're looking for in a mate. Lavalife offers video chat functionality which provides a new dimension to the online dating experience.

Most online dating sites are relatively straightforward, but it's still helpful to know that the site offers reliable customer support. With the exception of Chemistry.com and Match.com which offer a customer service phone number directly on their Contact Us page, most online dating sites offer only FAQ pages and email support. We've tested the customer support of the top dating sites and ranked them based on timeliness, helpfulness and professionalism.