How To Search For A Great Match

Getting started with online dating is easy and fun, but for many people the best part is the searching for a possible match.  There is just something exciting about marking a list of things that are important to you, clicking on the ‘search’ button, and watching a whole list of eligible singles appear on your computer screen. 

But there is more to finding a great match than scrolling through a long list of online profiles.  It takes a good quality search to come up with good quality matches, so we have put together some tips to help you make the most of your search.

Be specific

Most online dating services let you search using a number of characteristics or keywords, so make the most of this option.  Note the characteristics that are most important to you, and if you have the option of keywords be creative with those, too. 

But not too specific

If your search does not return many matches then you may have been too specific with characteristics and keywords.  Go back and try broadening your search a bit.

Read profiles carefully

When your search returns a list of profiles, read through them carefully.  It takes more than one reading to catch all of the details in most profiles, and it also takes some careful reading between the lines to spot any inconsistencies or potentially ambivalent information.

Profile first, picture second

Of course you want to see what a person looks like, but resist the temptation to read the profiles of the most attractive-looking matches first.  Make it a habit to read profiles first -- all of the profiles that came back on your search, not just the ones with the best pictures.

Be cautious

Before you get too excited about a match that seems to be just perfect, step back and take a moment to practice some caution.  Is the profile just a little bit too perfect?  Is there anything in it that seems too good to be true or inconsistent in any way?  If you have serious doubts about a particular match then it is better to play it safe and move on to the next one.

Go ahead and make contact

If a match looks interesting and you would like to know more about the person, go ahead and make contact.  It may feel a bit scary the first few times but you will miss out on meeting a lot of great people if you just sit back and wait for others to contact you.