1. Register with Several Sites

The man of your dreams may not be on match.com, or on christianmingle.com, or even on eharmony.com – you may not find him unless you register with several sites! I would recommend registering with five or six sites that you find appealing. Consider exploring free dating sites like freshSingle.com to expand your options and increase your chances of finding the right match. Since registering is the first step in finding online love, it’s the first of my tips for online dating success!

2. Complete the Entire Profile

Most online dating sites have a lengthy profile to complete, and as daunting as all of those open-ended questions seem, don’t be tempted to skip them! The more data you complete in each form, with each site, the better the site can match you with potential dates. Also, when a match visits your profile, it will give them a better sense of who you are.

3. Photos Count!

I’ve never seen an online dating site that didn’t at least suggest you include a photo with your profile, and as horribly shallow as it may sound, it’s for a reason – most of us are looking for a mate we’re attracted to in a physical sense. When choosing a photo to include, make sure it’s current, flattering (of course!) and not to revealing. Also, choose a photo of just you, and not a photo of you and a bunch of girlfriends at the bar.

4. Be Honest

While I’m a big fan of slight exaggerations, for drama’s sake, an online dating profile isn’t the place for wild embellishments or straight-up falsehoods. Why? Because if you lie on your profile and say you’re a curvy redhead, but you’re actually a skinny blonde, or if you say you love hockey when in reality you can’t stand sports at all, you’ll be matched with someone you won’t be compatible with, so what’s the point? Be honest.

5. Be Positive!

According to every single one of the guys I polled, no one likes a girl who’s negative on her dating profile. Remember, this is the first impression a potential mate will have of you – so this isn’t the place to complain about your ex, your job, your catty roommate, or about your financial woes. Save that for the second date. *wink

6. Be Unique

There are so many things that make you, you! Your online dating profile is the place to let everyone know what it is about you that’s so unique and interesting… so whether you’re fluent in 12 languages, are earning your pilot’s license, or own your own world-renowned collection of antique porcelain hedgehogs, brag a little! It will help you stand out in the crowd of women who blandly list a string of clichés. Who DOESN’T like romantic dinners or long walks on the beach?

7. Make Your Top 5, and Stick to It!

Let me be blunt: you’re going to be inundated with messages from men who will want to chat with you. Some will be unbelievably good candidates, others will be downright creepy, and most will fall somewhere in between. You’re going to have to develop an effective system for screening them, in the interest of time. Before you even register with the first site, make a list of the top 5 things you’re looking for in a date, and when you start screening those dozens of dates, don’t stray from your must-have qualities or features.

8. Do the Screening Yourself!

Why wait for the man of your dreams to find you? Why not do a little hunting yourself, and make the initial contact? That’s how I met my current sweetheart: I spent an hour filtering through all of the men on three dating sites I was registered with, narrowed it down to two on each site, and contacted all 6 of them. The rest is history!

Now that you’ve read all these little tips and tricks, are you ready to go back online and this time, find Mr. Right? I hope so! Who knows, you could be checking out our Date Night Ideas or our Weddings Sub-Blog soon! Which of these ideas do you think will help you most? Or do you have another online dating tip to share?