Online Dating Startups
Online Dating Insider delivers cutting-edge insight and commentary on all aspects of the online dating industry. Topics include industry news, site reviews, emerging trends, analysis of dating site features, discussion about safety safety, finance and other issues important to the online dating market. Don't miss our Startups directory, useful to anyone running dating or social networking sites. Subscribe to the RSS feed (you can subscribe via email as well). Your comments and suggestions for stories are welcomed.
We offer consulting services to dating sites and social networks as well.
Over the years I have received hundreds of emails from people looking to start, grow or improve dating sites. I decided to put together a resource where you will learn everything you need to know to start a dating site.
Caveat: This is a work in progress and will be updated often while we continue to add useful information.
Developing the Concept
Did you know that over a thousand dating sites already exist, from small niche sites to enormous warehouses of dating profiles? Companies with large marketing budgets, which currently compete in your chosen niche? Think long and hard about the type of site you want to start and the demographic you wish to cater to.
Financing
Angelsoft - Angelsoft is an ecosystem of early-stage investors.
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Interview with OSDate.
You need a place to keep your notes, assign tasks and collaborate with your team. Give Basecamp a shot, I’ve worked on many sites using it.
Dating Software
There are many types of dating systems and software to choose from. What works for one type of site might not work for another. If you don’t have a lot of resources (time and money) and your site isn’t going to have much customization, you’ll want to look at white label dating services. White Label Dating and World Dating Partners are arguably the two top providers of dating sites that are built on top of a shared database of users. Click the links in the sidebar to learn more.
Dating Site programs like Boonex Dolphin and SkaDate are good for sites that can be customized, from light reorganizing of content modules to heavy custom feature development. Expect to pay anywhere from $2,500 - $20,000 on a dating site based on these systems. SkaDate has a hosted service as well, which helps alleviate some of the problems you will run into hosting your own site.
When I help a client figure out what platform to build on, the first step in the due diligence process is to understand what the client is trying to accomplish, site functionality, their goals, available resources and other issues that are addressed at the very beginning of the process. Once we know what you’re thinking about building, it becomes much easier to recommend a suitable solution that meets your needs.
Custom Development
If your site is totally over the top in terms of customization, never-seen-before features and functionality, custom development might be the right answer. Again, it depends on your answers to the above questions.
Low Cost Usability Testing
Check out Usertesting.com.
Advertising
Many free dating sites advertise using Google Adwords. No matter what your budget, you can display your ads on Google and their advertising network. Pay only if people click your ads.
Dating Ad Network works with dating websites demanding affordable high-quality traffic. Dating Ad Network is based on the same proven ad-serving technology and run by the same dating industry advertising experts as Romance-Net. Romance-net.com, has serviced international matchmaking websites since 2003, controlling over 60 million ad impressions/month and more than 5,000 dating site owners subscribed to its services.
Generating Revenue
Dating sites earn revenue several ways: free, free (ad-supported), subscription based, tiered subscriptions and several permutations of free-paid.
Many sites start off free, until they have reached a certain number of members, at which time they begin charging. Usually when this happens the site experiences a high rate of attrition.
Google AdSense matches ads to your site’s content, and you earn money whenever your visitors click on them.
Adbrite Advertising Network
Digicraft Consulting Services
We have helped dating sites at various stages of development, from cocktail napkin ideas to software due diligence, product conceptualization to site development. We also help with your initial marketing plan. We are not a marketing agency but work with some of the best in the business.
Features
Identify Verification and Background checks
Background Checks
Verification systems
Developing Facebook Applications
Contact us if you are interested in learning how Digicraft can help make your ideas a reality.
