Online dating-related business is one of the most efficient revenue sources on the market. It takes almost nothing to make money. Actually, this ‘nothing’ is a bit more than you expect – you need to build a perfect website to work for you afterwards.

What is this perfect website you probably think? Here, we are going to define the most valuable components of such website design and how to build each stage of the development process properly, so don’t miss a word of this article!

Main Stages of Site Development

Working on the creation of the site consists of the following steps:

  • setting goals and analyzing the tasks that must be performed in order to achieve the main result;
  • compiling TQ;
  • prototype preparation;
  • preparation of site design samples;
  • pagination or making up;
  • work on the software part;
  • placement of content on the site;
  • site health check;
  • transfer of the created site to the customer;

Choosing a site type after setting goals

Not all customers who contact the agency with a request to develop a website for them can precisely formulate their wishes and requirements or determine what they need a website for. Therefore, the preparation stage is the definition of the client’s purpose and deciding on the site type since different sites perform different tasks. Some are a virtual representation of the company on the Internet, while others are a trading platform and so on. Therefore, at the preparatory stage, all the nuances are clarified, and the purpose of creating the site is dealt with in detail with the customer. The experts will tell you in detail what issues the site will help the client decide and which ones will remain open.

After the priorities are finally set, a portrait of potential customers is compiled since it is necessary to clearly understand who the site is intended for and who belongs to the category of the target audience. After drawing up the blueprint, you can proceed to the formation of the structure of the site, work out the design, functional load, and selection of content. In the case with creating a dating site, the first stage is already clear: we know which functions the website or online platform will perform. You can also specify the details; for example, it will be a new app designed for dating a Sagittarius woman or people seeking a multiracial relationship, etc.

After all this, the specialists begin to analyze the determination of the seasonality of the service or product from the point of view of marketing, which includes the audit of competitors. This includes the studying of the business niche. Be sure to work out various “buns” that can catch the attention of a potential client and make them stay on the site. When the entire preparatory phase is completed, a prototype site is created which is shown to the customer.

Elaboration of technical specifications is the next step

It is in the Technical Query that all the necessary characteristics of the site are formulated:

  • requirements and wishes for site design (choice of colors, creation of corporate identity, the proportion of text content to graphic elements, etc.);
  • semantics;
  • site structure, number of pages, blocks, and categories;
  • the functional content of the site;
  • used technologies;
  • technical requirements for the site.

TQ is a base. It is on this document will rely on all the professionals who develop a site. The customer must necessarily participate in the preparation of the technical specifications. Without their full consent, the document is not signed. TQ can be edited an unlimited number of times before being finally signed until a complete understanding is reached in all matters relating to the development of the site. Only after all the necessary documents are signed, the workers will be able to proceed to the next stage.

Design Sample

No stage in the development of the site cannot be missed, but the creation of site design is one of the most important stages. The first thing a visitor pays attention to when entering the site is its design. Being guided by the first impression, the user decides to stay on the site or leave it.

The designer, taking TQ as a basis, carefully studies all the design elements. That is, the task of the designer to make the prototype of the site in the desired color and shape, as developed in the first stage. If the customer of the site is a company that has its own style, then the site should necessarily be designed in the same color scheme and in the same style. It is possible that the corporate identity of the company is first worked out, and then, taking it as a basis, the design of the site is created.

The designer, working on the design of the site, is working on the templates of the main pages of the site. When the design is ready, it is shown to the client and waiting for approval or comments starts. If the design requires refinement, the designer makes the necessary changes. The design will be finalized until the customer approves it.

Making up or coding

In other words, this process can be called a merger of design with the engine. The developer, using HTML, creates a working project of the site from a ready-made design. The site seems to be put into life: it becomes alive, active, and working. The site is designed in such a way that it can be displayed equally well in any Internet browsers. CSS styles are also created at this stage.

The next step at this stage is to connect the site to the CMS. Now you can start creating pages, categories, and subcategories, arrange hyperlinks, and determine how the menu tab will function. By bringing it all together, you can get the final structure of the site. In this form, visitors will see the site after it is “registered” on the Internet. However, not all sites are created on a CMS. For example, landing pages are installed without installing a content management system.

Categories, subcategories, content posted on the page, commodity cards – all this is made up at this stage of creating the site. Each of the elements is important and has its own requirements.

Website programming

A programmer takes part in a project only when a full-fledged large site is being developed. Otherwise, the services of this specialist are not needed since they develop complex functional blocks, for example, a currency converter, a calculator, payment systems, and so on. In other words, the programmer develops additional functionality for the site which is not mandatory and is not included in the usual package.

Content placement

This is, in fact, the last step in the work on the site. The resource contains all the necessary materials (photos, videos, tests, descriptions, articles) that will be interesting and necessary for the visitor.

Looking ahead and anticipating the future promotion of the resource, the site is laid out optimized seos from the point of view in terms of texts and articles, seos are needed to spell out the necessary keys from the semantic core correctly. The content manager places various graphic elements on the necessary pages, after which all pages of the site will be internally optimized.

Site testing

Without testing the site, it is impossible to determine whether it is working correctly and whether any mistakes have been made during its creation. The tester carefully checks the entire performance of the site, guided by certain criteria. If errors in the testing process are identified, they are corrected by specialists working on the creation of the site.

Another important point that we do not endure in a separate stage since this step can be done at any time. It is about choosing a domain name and hosting for the site. When work on the creation of the site is completed, the client is provided with all logins and passwords for the CMS. Having received a ready-made site for use, the customer can continue cooperation with the agency, ordering them the maintenance of the site or its promotion. But these are already separate services, and therefore, the payment for them is carried out separately.

Additional work

It is extremely rare for the customer to stop cooperating with the agency after receiving the site and accessing it. Usually, they order some more services, without which they can not do. These include:

  • Training a company employee to work with the site;
  • Administrative support of the site;
  • Writing SEO-optimized texts, articles, descriptions, etc.;
  • Updating of materials on the site, including the filling of catalogs and commodity cards;
  • Promotion of the resource.

We want to remind that the customer can control all stages of the creation of the site. After the end of one stage and before the start of another, a client is given a report on the work done, and the results of the work are demonstrated. Without client approval of the results of the previous stage, the team of specialists does not proceed to the next stage. Such cooperation allows the customer to check the work of the agency, and specialists understand whether the customer is satisfied with their work.

How to Create a Great Dating Website

1. Study the development of similar businesses

If you plan to start your own dating platform, it is vital that you take other similar examples of such sites as a reference and study why one failed, while others succeeded. Try to avoid their mistakes and, of course, add new details to your concept. Get inspired and do not just steal because the audience is very picky, and they will immediately notice you copying the idea.

2. Come up with a domain name

It must be something easy to remember and corresponding to your concept. A short and catchy name idea that will explain the main features of your site without any additional words; it should not only sound cool but have a meaning behind it. It can be an abbreviation, your initials, or a pun – people will talk about it, and you will already get free advertisement. Even a little bit of provocation will not look odd in this case.

3. Decide on paid services

Will your dating site be completely free, and you will earn by implementing advertisements or give users the possibility to access ads-free version with cool premium features for additional money? Free sites are in huge demand because not everybody is able to pay for seeking their love; people choose something smaller but free rather than pay for the subscription on the platform that does not guarantee them success in personal life. And if you approach creating a free site with fresh ideas and professional look, you can still make a great business out of it.

4. Specify your target audience

Limit your circle of users so that the site works more effectively. You will agree that creating a site where there are only people interested in interracial relationships or users seeking quick hookups with partners of the certain age is easier than a general site where there are millions of user who do not manage to find their perfect match. By specifying your audience, you make everybody’s job easier, starting with the designers and programmers and ending with users themselves. People who register on your platform will be already aware of what to expect and what they want.

5. Do not forget about the landing pages

Those are different types of pages aimed at redirecting the audience to your website. Those can be hidden small hyperlinks on other big or small resources or pages owned by your agency created specifically for bringing people to the bigger platform. You can attract the audience by chats, a gallery of the pictures of the users from your site, and interesting articles on the topics connected with dating. Basically, use all means that will catch the eye of the audience interested in seeking a partner and searching for anything relationship/love-connected. Give people what they want so they visit your site.

6. Easy navigation

Make it the way you usually use the site. The most used and popular tabs should be noticeable as soon as you open the site; other smaller in meaning can be hidden for the overall aesthetic look. Some of the main tabs for a dating site are quick search, gallery button, chatting, and main feed where you can see the profiles of the users. Do not overclutter the page: the visual part is very important in terms of the user’s perception of your site. When people like the design, they stay to explore more.

7. Nice website layout

Once again, all the needed buttons and functions of the site should be on their place. It means that your site should not only be written and work perfectly well, but it should also attract the audience and be pleasant to look at. It must be tidy and orderly so that people trust and use it. In case your dating app looks user-friendly and stylish, and the functionality speaks for itself; people will stay on it and log in. Do not place the adds on the center of the page – respect your audience; some minor in meaning toolbars, such as a “log out” or “edit the main profile” buttons, should be placed on the less visible positions too.

8. Search function tools

Dating websites would be useless if people weren’t able to find other users and look through the list of potential partners on it. It is exactly why users register on such platforms, so make the main feed page of your site clear and comprehensive so that anyone can search for other users based on certain parameters or surf through the base of pictures and profiles of their potential matches. The search button should be the first thing people see when they enter your platform, so place it on the top of the page or mark with a bright detail.

9. Follow a certain color pattern

You can even turn to psychology for help and study which colors are best for attracting people, calming them down and tuning in for searching the partner. You should come up with a color palette you will arrange everything in and stay close to it. This way, you will create your individual look, like a brand that people will recognize as soon as they see the company colors.

And do not forget that colors have a different meaning in different countries: what is the color of grief and death in one part of the continent may be a happy color in another. So study your market! You can even change the typical color scheme depending on the region to influence the audience and show them respect for their culture. The choice of colors carries not only esthetic function but explain the idea of your brand, the concept you carry, and what your website is aimed at. That is why approach this question very seriously: it is what people will remember your platform for.

10. Develop user profiles ready to use

The user profile is the page where all the information about the person contains and where users can express themselves. It is where they show what they expect from future partners, specify their preferences, and post photos. It should consist of all of the mentioned, so add the tab to write the date of birth, name, job experience, and something interesting, like food preferences, there. After the user fills in the form of their profile, it should be ready to function and attract other users. Also, this information will be later taken into consideration while calculating the perfect match for the person.

11. Communication facilitation tools

After you arrange the main page and user profiles, it is time to come up with the perfect communication and feedback systems. People should reach out to each other to get to know the other one and continue communication. You can add features widely used by other dating platforms, for example, the possibility to like a picture or start a chat right away. You can come up with a way to meet that was never used before, but it should be easy and effective. After the person sees somebody they prefer, they should be able to exchange messages and talk to each other. These algorithms should work without interruptions, and it will be even better if you add features like video or audio calls.

12. Privacy policy and the safety of every user

Defend your users from scammers, fakes, and people having bad intentions. It does not only mean adding a blocking button on the conversation, but all users should be checked on the first stages of registration to avoid troubles in the future. Ask the user to link connect the profile to their phone, check whether the photos are real by comparing them to the live videos, etc.

In terms of your own safety as a website owner, you should beware of spammers; otherwise, Google will penalize you for overcluttering the site with suspicious links. What is more, check the photos users post: if they are inappropriate, you can suffer from bans or restrictions too.

13. Beta version and testing

One of the most important steps of site development is testing. A trial period will show all the mistakes starting from those in coding and ending with the wrong concept or unpopular dating site features. The algorithm should work exactly how you planned, and if not, take a few weeks to make everything perfect. Only when all the functions work the way you want, and the website leaves the feeling of completeness, you can launch the app to the market.

You can even let users try your site before registration and collect feedback. No one knows what the audience wants better than the audience itself.

Conclusion

A website created following these instructions will work really effectively and meet the needs of users. Do not forget that you need to translate a certain concept while developing a site; the work does not stop on the stage of coding. After you implement your idea into life through programming, the whole another stage of perfecting the job done and trial starts. You can always get inspired by successful examples of other big platforms but do not forget to add something new to attract the audience.