Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe your online dating strategy is what’s working against you? Do you even have a strategy? Apparently, one in five relationships these days begins online. The industry is changing rapidly. And most individuals are taking advantage of the online platform to find potential mates. Question is, are you doing it right?

Scroll on to find out how a simple shift changed my success online…

How to do online dating successfully

Most online dating sites offer three main services that are meant to determine one’s online dating success. These are access, communication, and matching. Access is all about exposure and the opportunity to meet potential mates. Communication refers to features that the site provides for members to interact with potential mates. And then, of course, there are sites that match individuals using mathematical algorithms or those that provide potential matches based on what the user searches on their own.

Now, one thing you need to know is that the way a site implements the above services doesn’t necessarily improve a person’s success with online dating. A good online dating strategy will certainly improve your romantic outcomes online.

Research

As a first time online dater, like many people, I registered on more than siBut after a while, I realized that being on more than one site wasn’t helping much. So I decided to narrow things down to one reputable interracial dating site. I settled on it because of its large international membership. The other reason that I liked about the site is that they have advanced search so I had the option of self-selecting potential mates. The other thing is that they had massive discounts when you took a larger subscription and they also have a money-back guarantee in case you are not satisfied.

So looking at the features the site offers and the ease of use, my motivation to settle on this site was cost/benefit analysis and international access to members. I figured, my chances were higher here. And having gone through the number of online dating success stories, besides efficiency and ease of use, the site offered the potential to form meaningful relationships.

Creating a profile with a profile picture and completing the questionnaire

This is one of the most important steps towards achieving online dating success. This is your selling point. It’s the first thing the other members will come into contact with and judge you on it. This is the information that potential mates will use to determine whether to contact you or reply to your messages. So you need to put your best foot forward. Check out online dating profile examples to attract men or women but make it suited to yourself.

Initially, my skepticism made me hide my face from other members. I had no profile picture until one member told me he doesn’t talk to people who hide for being ashamed of online dating. That’s when I realized how much that was working against me. So I posted more than one photo doing different things which made it easier for other members to break the ice. The other thing I did was to update my online dating profile headline to a catchy phrase that sold me.

The other thing is to make sure you state clearly what you are looking for in a potential mate. Research on how to write an online dating profile for a woman and be positive with your list of qualities of a potential mate.

Upgrading my subscription

One thing I came to realize on the site that I was on is that as much one could ride on a free membership it ended up being quite limited. Yes, I could search through profiles of potential mates but the only thing I could do was just show interest. I had no way of contacting them via message or video chat. I could only do so if another paid member contacted me, hence limiting my chances and making me dependent on others to make the first move. So I decided to upgrade by paying for the yearly subscription where besides enjoying the various communication features and freedom to contact whoever caught my eye, I ended up enjoying a great deal of discounts.

Taking control of my dating life

Don’t just sit there. Do something. Browse others’ profiles and feel free to make the first move. Don’t send something subtle like a show of interest. That is the reason why I encourage you to upgrade your subscription so that you don’t sit and let your dating life be determined and controlled by someone else.

Do you think its tiring? Not necessarily. Even if you are on a site that matches you mathematically, my advice is to do self-selection using the search parameters that a site provides. It’s like shopping. So if you want to get what you are looking for, you need to go out there and get it. So man or woman, if you want to know how to do online dating successfully, then you need to put yourself out there.

Widening my search parameters

The internet provides people with access to wider networks of potential mates. So why limit yourself to a particular bracket?

See, most dating sites give people the option of choosing, say, a particular age bracket. So initially, whenever I was searching, my preferred age group was a man between 30 and 40. But after a while, it hit me: what if the man I am compatible with is 29 or 41? Was I willing to lock out potential love because of a year? So I decided it was time to change my online dating strategy. So I chose to accommodate the +5 and -5 men in my search. And I met more compatible mates.

The other thing is the location bit. How sure are you that the person you will click with will be willing to relocate? Leave the location bit open… or at least check the “willing to relocate” box when doing your search.

Turning on online dating notifications

Once someone initiates communication and you like them, make it a point to be consistent and fast with your replies. I once went offline for about a month and when I logged in, I found a message from a guy I thought we were compatible with. But after I replied it was too late. He told me he assumed my silence to be a lack of interest. So turn on your online dating notifications so that you don’t miss out on a great chance.

Initiating offline contact sooner rather than later

People who have managed to have online dating success stories, besides having a catchy online dating profile headline, they also don’t drag their online connection for too long. So if you have great online chemistry, if you are in a position to put it to the offline test. That way, if online chemistry doesn’t translate to offline chemistry, you can move on to the next potential mate sooner.

Besides the online dating profile examples to attract men and women you have customized, I hope that the above tips on online dating strategy will lead to your success.

For more online dating strategies, visit Love is All Colors.