Finding the right online dating service is really about finding the site that offers the features that best meet your needs, and more importantly, finding a site that has the most potential compatible people with you. It might be the first match that you make, but the good news is that whatever site you choose you can always choose again if it does not work out. Here are some issues that may help you choose the perfect online dating site.
Free vs. paid subscribers
Why spend money on an online dating site if most of the other members are not paying members and will never be able to contact you? Do a little sleuthing and see if you can find this information out. Also, most sites show a date of last activity for each member. Be sure to make sure that there are still a large number of people actively participating in the site. Stale members can be a problem, so watch out.
Narrow down – to go niche or not?
In the beginning, online dating was simple. Only a few sites existed. Men signed up. Women signed up. They chatted, agreed to meet in person, and sometimes they even got married! Today, the world of online dating is far different. The most obvious difference between then and now is the sheer number of online dating services that are currently available.
Find an online dating site that caters to the type of match that you are looking for. A lot of people feel better going into online dating with an idea of what it is they are looking to gain from online dating. But do not be too picky about your potential new partner. In the real world many people get together who were never each other’s “type.”
Different online dating sites serve different geographic locations. Some attract members from all over the world, and others restrict membership to certain geographic locations. If you want to broaden your horizons, and don't mind a long distance relationship, then by all means, go global. If you're short on cash (for long-distance travel) and you think that one day you'd actually like to date someone you meet online in person, check out sites with local availability.
Nowadays, you can fine-tune your search criteria even more. Ask yourself if you care that the person you date has the same religious beliefs as you do, is a particular age or between a certain range of ages, has a sexual preference, is already involved in a committed relationship, is of a particular nationality such as Asian, Russian, American, or any of the hundreds of other nationalities that make up the people of this world or any of the many other issues that may or may not be a concern to you. If you look around the Internet long enough, you just might find an online dating site serving the niche you're looking for. There are more niche sites cropping up every day. Are you interested in body building? Vegan? Religion? People with dogs? You name it and you can find it today.
Profile/photo approval process
Some of the sites offer extensive personality profiling and personality testing, both of which are designed to help members zero in on the perfect mates. While very effective, navigating these can be cumbersome and time-consuming, often taking several hours to complete. (One such example is eHarmony.com) If you're not comfortable with this level of detail, move on to a site with less profiling. Also check out the rules for posting photos and the amount of time it takes to get photos and profiles approved. Remember at least one quality photo (more is better) is a must for your profile. And please, spend the time to actually post a good picture. Why turn potential matches away because of a bad picture?
Chat capability/monitored chat rooms/Anonymous phone calling
The ability to chat is important as you progress through the online dating cycle. Most paid memberships offer this ability, but check to be certain. But that's not what's important in regards to chat capabilities. (Note especially for female online daters - Some sites actively monitor the language in the chat rooms and others don't. Unfortunately, those that don't often are filled with crude language and explicit sexual offers. )
A new trend offered by at least Match.com, is the ability to call people though the online dating site in a partially anonymous way. The other member still knows the member ID or the profile name of the person calling, but their phone and offline contact information is still protected. (This is sort of a beefed up called ID blocking). Most of these services use voice-over-IP (VOIP), so the quality may vary.
Costs
Cost is important, but it isn't necessarily as important as the issues mentioned above. Make sure you understand all that you get for the price of admission. Also check whether there are other costs associated with your membership. Most online dating sites today allow for a free trial. This “free trial” can mean many different things at different online dating sites. Some sites allow unlimited access, while some online dating sites offer a limited experience (Usually not allowing you to actually contact other members).