The best online dating tips – expert advice for online success

handsome man updating his online dating profile in a cafe

At EliteSingles we’ve been lucky enough to work with a variety of talented, terrific dating experts who’ve given us some excellent online dating tips over the years. The best thing about all this advice? Put together, they make a fantastic guide for online dating success. It’s essential reading for those in search of love.

From your first steps online, to your first message, to the first date, here are our ten favourite online dating tips, collected in a great guide to better online dating.

Step 1: Answer the personality test honestly

At EliteSingles, our priority is to make matches based on true compatibility across a wide range of preferences. One of the foundations of our success in this area is our personality test: it lets us gain real insight into what our members want in a partner and helps us suggest matches that might fit the bill. For this reason, one of the biggest online dating tips we can offer is really straight-forward – make a concerted effort to answer the test honestly. That way you give yourself the best shot at finding someone who is genuinely on your wavelength.

Step 2: Write an intriguing profile

After you’ve completed your personality test, it’s time to show off that personality by means of a captivating personal profile. Relationship coach Sam Owen told EliteSingles that a great profile is a vital part of the online dating process as it can ‘’help those you’re matched with find out who you genuinely are.’’1 This means your profile is a crucial part of capturing and keeping the attention of singles who suit you, so make sure you set aside the time to write something both thoughtful and truthful.

Step 3: Add some flattering photos

Once your profile is polished, it’s time for the finishing touches – some great pictures. The internet is full of photo-related online dating tips but, when it comes down to it, they’re quite simple. Do as dating coach Ronnie Ann Ryan recommends: find a place and outfit that make you feel comfortable, then get a friend to help you take some shots that, preferably, show your face without obstructions like sunglasses.3 Ideally you’re aiming for something that focuses on you, where you look relaxed, comfortable and happy – the kind of person who would make a great date.

Step 4: Send some flirty messages

Of course, the best online dating tips aren’t just about how to make your profile look inviting. They’re also about how to make the first move when you come across a profile that you find interesting. Indeed, to be successful online, you really do need to get proactive. Dating coach Peter Spalton suggests that the best results come from making messaging a disciplined, planned endeavour – setting aside a small window each day to say hi to those you find intriguing.4 Just remember: try and be brief, personal and original! A copy-pasted, long-winded message is a sure way to flub the first message game.

Step 5: Take your online dating offline

Before you fall head-over-heels for the object of your online flirtation, there’s one final step to take – you have to meet them offline. This is because, while online dating can be grounds for a superb intellectual and emotional connection, you can’t test chemistry via a computer. And, as researchers at the University of Florida found, chemistry is an essential part of a happy relationship. The study authors even suggest waiting no longer than 17 -23 days after that first message to get the first date locked down: any longer and you run the risk of severe disappointment if your offline spark doesn’t match your online fireworks.4

If you’ve followed all the online dating tips above, you’ve given yourself the best chance of connecting with someone amazing. There’s just one more step to get the ball rolling – joining EliteSingles. Get started today; just click here to register.

EliteSingles editorial November 2015

If you’ve got more online dating tips, we’d love to hear them! Let us know with a comment below or email us at [email protected]

Sources:

1 EliteSingles interview with Relationship Coach Sam Owen, October 2014.

2 Coach Ronnie Ann Ryan, writing for YourTango. ‘9 tips to take the perfect photo for your online dating profile.’ Found at http://www.yourtango.com/experts/coach-ronnie-ann-ryan/9-ways-get-great-photos-online-dating

3 Lucy Vine, writing for The Telegraph ‘Seven tips for successful online dating.’ Found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/relationships/11823018/Seven-tips-for-successful-online-dating.html

4 Claire Cohen, writing for the Telegraph ‘Online dating tipping point: When should you meet in person?’ Found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/online-dating/11302495/Online-dating-websites-When-should-you-meet-in-person.html

About the author: Sophie Watson

See more articles written by Sophie Watson