The best online dating sites are run by full time professionals who are constantly researching the market (in order to gauge what people want) and developing additional features that make the process of using a dating website more fun and much more productive.

They know that the majority of their members want features that are easy to use and which increase their prospects of making contact with other members.  If they are fun and amusing to use too then that’s a bonus.

Ultimately of course the aim is simple; bring two people together online in a safe and neutral environment in which mutual privacy is maintained, then let them get to know each other so that they will eventually go out on dates.  After that, let nature takes its course.

All the online dating sites listed beneath this post have recently been updated and now include the following enhancements.

Facebook Connect:
This allows members to register and sign in to the dating site using their Facebook details.  Members can then export photos from their Facebook account into their dating site profile.

Member Introduction:
A short overview of the member is now presented at the top of the page, detailing their name, age, location, what they’re looking for, their distance from you and whether they’re online or not.

Photo Gallery:
Conveniently browse member photos from within a profile with the all new Member Photo Gallery. Move forward and back through a members photos and zoom when you want to see more detail.

Status Commenting:
When a member updates their status with something interesting you can now send a comment.

Instant Requests:
Send instant requests for more details such as photos or profile text.

Come online:
The member you are viewing isn’t online? Send a request to come online and chat.

Similar Members:
View similar members to the profile you are viewing from right within a profile page, providing a quick and easy way to browse through members.

Random Member:
Can’t find the right person? Then try the new random member button.

More information:
More info added about the member into the profile page, you can now view photos, diary entries and videos all from the one page.

Clearer Layout:
Even with all the information there is still have a cleaner, clearer layout.

Popular Actions:
Popular actions such as ‘Send a Message’, ‘Send a Wink’ and ‘Add to Favourites’ have been moved into more prominent, clearer locations.

Inline Messaging:
Having an in depth conversation with someone you like? You can now send and reply to messages right from their profile page.

Message Preview:
See a preview of the last message you have received from a member right from their profile page.

Online Dating Bible

Love Horse^®

Love Generations UK

Love Generations USA

Love Generations Australia

Love Generations South Africa

Best Dating Australia

Love Generation UK

Love Services UK

My UK Dating

The Love Garden

Country Dates

My Casual Friends

Love Services South Africa

My New Girlfriend

My New Boyfriend

The online dating business is very competitive so don’t expect quick results unless you have the kind of budget that will pay for TV and magazine advertising.  Even then it’s possible to spend money in the hope that thousands of new members are going to register at your site only to find that none materialise.  After the advertising salesman has convinced you that this or that offer is never going to be repeated and that by handing over a large sum of money you are guaranteed to see returns within weeks, you sit back and wait for the crowds to arrive only to find that, in the end, you might just as well have set fire to that pile of cash for all the good that ‘special offer’ did for your business.

So start with things that cost nothing or very little.  They may take up some of your time and energy but that’s inevitable.  Success is often proportional to the amount of effort applied.

Choose the right domain name for your niche.  Before you even build the site, pick a domain name that is relevant to your target.  If you’re going to build a site about bikers, pick a domain name with the word ‘bikers’ in it.

Compose some unique copy and add it to the homepage.  Google and other search engines love original content above all other things so write something new and original and put it on your homepage.  Don’t mess around trying to spin someone else’s content, write your own.  It will help you to get to know your target market.

Swap links with relevant sites.  The important word here is ‘relevant’.  Choose sites that are in the same niche as your own.  Don’t blindly submit your site to any old directory, choose wisely.

Go easy on the advertising.  Don’t overload your site with Google Adsense or others adverts.  Are you trying to convince visitors to your site to register or drive them away to other sites?  If you want them to register then space on your page is better devoted to relevant content than advertising.

Make use of Googles free tools.  These are Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.  Register your site and submit a sitemap using the Webmaster Tools, and keep an eye on your visitor stats and what brought them to your site by using Analytics.

Write some articles about your chosen niche. You can submit these to article repositories like EzineArticles.com and include a link to your site in the signature.  This will create a backlink to your site from a site with a high PR (Page Rank).

Use the right affiliate links.  Choose affiliate links that relate to your site and link with good keywords.

For more tips on dating site affiliate links visit: “Affiliate with these sites to earn cash commission”

Tools For Your SEO Toolkit:

LinkAssistant Review – a great tool for organising and keeping track of your link building campaign.  Essential for webmasters and site owners.

iBusinessPromoter – a toolkit in one, IBP automates the submission process, checks page ranking, and manages your links and link swaps.

XML Sitemap Generator – generates XML sitemaps and can update them automatically. Best for standalone or self-hosted websites.