In the online world, almost every website operator now understands the importance of Internet marketing, and in particular branding and SEO.
What many people don't know is that the techniques and methods behind these two English terms can also bring numerous advantages for online dating that should not be underestimated.
So why shouldn't you transfer this knowledge and use it in the world of online singles and online dating?
But first a little explanation of terms...
What is SEO and branding anyway?
SEO is a common abbreviation for “Search Engine Optimization” and is a discipline from online marketing that emerged with the advent of major search engines such as Google, BING and Co.
The German term for this is search engine optimization and can be summarized as follows:
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or search engine optimization is intended to ensure that web content that can be found by search engines such as Google and Co. appears in the highest possible positions when searching for content-relevant search terms (keywords).
It's not just about the position itself, but also about satisfying the user's interest in matching the search term, search result presentation and relevance in order to ultimately create a click stimulus.
What may sound very technical at first is no longer meant to be a series of measures designed to ensure that websites and their content appear at the top of the organic search engine rankings.
By consciously influencing the placement of websites, images, videos or other content on search engines, their reach should be increased.
The bottom line is that your website can be found relatively easily and by as many people as possible on the Internet. A goal that we also pursue with our own profile when it comes to online dating.
Ultimately, we want to be found by as many potential dating partners as possible and win their attention.
And this is where the so-called “branding” into play. This is about skillfully marketing your own brand and image to customers. Applied to digital partner search, it means optimization and successful self-marketing - in order to create the most positive impression possible among potential partners.
This in turn increases the chance that profile visitors will make contact and thus get to know each other.
In summary, SEO techniques in online dating help us to get as many visitors as possible to our profile and branding increases the chances that these visitors will also contact us or respond to messages from us. Sure so far?
So let's take a closer look at which methods and techniques can specifically be of use to us and how we can then skillfully put them into practice.
Tip 1: Put yourself in the right light with your profile
Since I have already mentioned the member profile on online dating portals several times in the previous section, let's start right away. After all, it is a central component for success in finding a virtual partner.
Most singles and contact exchanges allow you to create and design your own profile. You should use all the design options that are offered to you, otherwise you will be wasting potential.
Naturalness and authenticity are important . Don't just copy any content together and then garnish it with a flat saying.
Take your time to create your profile and think about your individual strengths and advantages. Sayings and quotes are a nice part, but they should definitely relate to you.
In addition to a profile text and the usual information about yourself, the profile picture is particularly important . Also avoid any party shots and snapshots, blurry selfies in front of the mirror or poorly exposed shots.
Also, under no circumstances should you take passport photos or application photos. That seems strange. Instead, you can ask family or friends to help you with the shots. Then the best results usually come out.
Don'ts - This is what you should avoid
Also, don't try to use photos that show you from an earlier time just because you were slimmer and younger back then. Take recent photos. Also stay away from too much Photoshop and other tools that artificially edit photos.
This will pay off on the first date at the latest. Under no circumstances should you use photos that are not of you, but of a friend of yours or a sibling, or that have simply been downloaded wildly from the Internet.
Do's - This is what you should focus on
Stand up for yourself! You can certainly work with exposure and perspective so that you can present your best side. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Ask family members or friends for their opinion and help.
Then you're sure to find a great photo that will show it off in a particularly attractive way. Women are also welcome to use make-up. By the way, the best results can be achieved in a relaxed and happy mood.
Feel free to postpone the shoot for a day if you're not in a good mood. A positive mood and a pleasant atmosphere will appear in your pictures.
Many experts also recommend making sure that your profile picture makes eye contact with the camera and is photographed openly and directly from the front. Ideally, your body should be up to your hips, otherwise your head can sometimes appear cut off.
I have a very special tip for women: when it comes to clothing, courage to use color statistically pays off. color red in particular can significantly increase the chances of being contacted by a potential partner.
Tip 2: Inspire trust
In the world of SEOs, trust a big role. As so-called “trust” or “authority” , websites that enjoy a high level of trust from other websites are preferred in the rankings and search results. This can be determined, for example, via external links. Websites with lots of backlinks from other trustworthy sites receive a bonus and are rewarded with better rankings.
In online shops, user trust can also be created with the help of reviews, ratings and seals. This is particularly important because you also expect something from the website visitor - usually that they take action by making contact, subscribing to a newsletter, or purchasing a product.
At the same time, trust also plays an overriding role in online dating. This is mainly due to the anonymity of the network. So at the beginning you never really know who is sitting on the other side of the line in front of the screen and who you are dealing with. Consequently, trust must first be built or earned.
Some dating agencies and portals do good preparatory work in this regard by checking their members' profiles by hand. This excludes fraudsters and fakes to a certain extent.
Then there are sometimes so-called matchmakers or matching algorithms that analyze the compatibility of two people and evaluate how well they fit together. This can also inspire confidence.
No matter which type of dating portal you ultimately choose, you can always create an initial dose of trust yourself using the information in your profile. To do this, you must first create a complete profile. Poorly filled out profiles or profiles without photos are simply ignored by most members.
profile text also decides , which you should definitely write yourself. Describe yourself in an authentic and relaxed way, which is very well received by most singles.
You can also improve your chances by putting yourself in the shoes of your potential dating partners. Try to find out what exactly they are looking for, what makes them tick, what they like or dislike. The more you know about it, the more precisely you can adapt your profile text accordingly.
In marketing jargon, this is referred to as “targeting a precise target group in order to maximize the conversion rate” . This simply means that the more accurately you manage to address and serve the expectations and preferences of visitors, the higher the likelihood of contact being made.
Don'ts - This is what you should avoid
You should not leave your profile blank. Merely copying texts from the Internet is also not advisable. And don't pretend!
Do's - This is what you should focus on
Take the time to write an individual and authentic profile text. Also pay attention to your language. If you would like to date more formal people, then your profile text can also be designed in this direction.
However, if you would rather come into contact with relaxed and humorous people instead, then a text that is written formally and in a more objective manner will not appeal to most of these people.
Tip 3: Activity and efficiency
Good SEOs are usually extremely efficient people. This means that you are particularly good at automating, outsourcing, delegating, or at least completing repetitive or rudimentary tasks more quickly.
Every time these people catch themselves doing the same tasks over and over again, they find a way to make the work process more efficient. This means you can make the most of your limited time and get the best possible results.
The same goal now applies to most online singles. Ultimately, we want to use the time we invest as effectively as possible in order to find our dream partner as quickly as possible and enjoy real dates.
It may happen that the very romantic idea that the dream man or woman suddenly notices us and comes into our lives actually becomes reality. But let's be honest: this happens in very rare cases and we should definitely not just wait for such a lucky break.
Instead, we should take action ourselves and work for our happiness. And that works brilliantly.
activity usually means that you don't wait to be found, but looking yourself . In practical terms, this means that we find suitable profiles and get in touch with potential partners.
Depending on the dating site, you can “nudge” each other, give each other a virtual kiss or similar virtual gift, write a message, or even text each other directly in an online chat.
While nudges and virtual gifts can express initial interest, they are usually not very effective at establishing contact. After all, it's done with a simple click and, logically, women in particular are overwhelmed by such expressions of interest.
So what remains above all is the personal message . Use this personal method of contact as it is the most successful method. This depends largely on the “quality” of the message. Short, unimaginative one-liners like “Hello, how are you?”, “So you?”, “I like your profile.”, etc. rarely attract singles from behind the stove.
So be sure to focus on individuality and creativity ! Write a few personal lines that clearly show the recipient that you are interested in them and that you are making an effort. This shows appreciation and flatters the reader.
And this is exactly where the crux of the story lies: writing such messages is not that easy. But above all, they require time. If you want to write to 5-10 profiles in this way, it can easily take up an entire evening. Isn't that easier?
Yes! There is definitely an easier way. Keyword: efficiency .
If we look at it realistically, we will have to write some messages in order for this to result in a real date or two. And to make matters worse, it often doesn't work the first time.
So we first have to meet a few people so that we have a serious chance of a great partnership or great love. And that means, conversely, writing lots of messages. However, we can significantly simplify this long and arduous process.
Do's - This is what you should focus on
Set aside a full evening to write “opening message” or “first message.” Put a lot of effort into it and let humor, wit and charm flow into it. If you have difficulties with this, you can of course also ask family members or friends for advice and help.
You usually come up with a lot more ideas together. You can also get inspiration online or elsewhere and can also “borrow” phrases, passages and formulations from others. Ultimately, the text should fit you well or reflect your own, individual style.
So that the whole thing is not too general and does not give the impression that you are writing this text to many other people in the same way, include passages and sections in which you personally relate to the recipient.
For example, allude to individual profile information or include things from the recipient's profile text. This tailors the text really well to the person in question and gives the feeling that you have dealt with the respective profile.
Extra tip: You can also create several such “opening messages” to better address the respective situation (e.g. a separate message for profile visitors).
Or you can make the message modular so that it consists of different building blocks and you can leave out parts of it or change the order as needed.
Tip 4: Good research
Thorough research is the fundamental basis of every SEO effort. search engine optimization campaign for a website, the current status must of course first be determined and compared to the competitors. This is the only way to uncover the optimization gap, estimate the effort and determine appropriate measures.
If you then look at the extent to which the developments in the social media landscape have reached, then the wealth of data and information that is available via the Internet quickly becomes clear.
This applies to companies and products as well as to people. It's almost frightening how much and detailed information we can obtain and collect about anyone with just a few clicks.
These include basic data such as gender, place of residence, address, marital status, email addresses, telephone numbers, photos and circle of friends, shopping preferences, interests, hobbies, media behavior and various details from private life.
This fact can of course also be used for online dating. For example, you can take a closer look at potential dating partners before deciding whether to invest a lot of energy and passion in establishing contact.
Do's - This is what you should focus on
Humans are creatures of habits. It also tends to be sluggish and comfortable. This means that many people use the same or very similar usernames and pseudonyms across multiple platforms and in social networks, forums or communities.
If you then use the same photo, you can easily collect additional information about a person. So just search for the username of an online dating profile on Google and see what exciting things come up.
You can also Google's image search to see if the photo matches.
If you have a person's real name, you can also simply google it. So-called people search engines like Yasni & Co. can also help here.
If you want to find more information about the person in question using a photo, online services like TinEye ideal for this. TinEye, for example, uses a reverse search and uses a photo to reveal additional online profiles for the person in question.
Some people are also very open about information about themselves and make their social profiles completely public, blog freely about private matters or share themselves in a variety of ways in forums, communities or social networks. Of course, this makes research a lot easier.
Tip 5: Stay “Fresh”
fresh and up-to-date content is necessary or at least an advantage for good search engine rankings Although this thesis is not entirely uncontroversial, it seems logical why current content should have better rankings than outdated content.
The situation is similar with online dating. Anyone who keeps their profile current and “fresh” will have a higher chance of receiving letters than someone who, for example, has not updated it for two years.
After all, when we meet someone, we want to know the current situation and not what that person might have been like several years ago.
People change, have new experiences, learn. This should also be reflected in your profile. The same applies to your profile picture.
Some contact exchanges and partner portals also show the most recent activity on profiles . You can see when a member last logged in, when they were last online, etc. Therefore, you should check back regularly to show potential prospects that you are active.
It can also be assumed that when searching for singles and profiles, a number of dating sites show those who are more active and more up-to-date higher up. On some portals, friendly members are also informed about a new login or notified when they are currently online. This significantly increases the chances of being contacted.
Do's - This is what you should focus on
Log in to your user profile regularly, if possible even daily. Make it a routine. You have read that it offers a whole range of advantages. It doesn't have to be long, just a few minutes is often enough.
You should also regularly check your information and your profile text to ensure that it is up to date. If something changes in your life, you should also include this change in your dating profile. And remember to use a recent profile photo too.
Tip 6: Test Test Test
Last but not least, there is a tip that applies to many areas: test different methods and techniques. Compare the results to find out what works best in your individual case.
Every SEO knows that testing is an integral part of their work. There are too many influencing factors involved to predict which method will produce the best results without testing.
Therefore, you run so-called A/B tests in which you compare alternative A with alternative B and then prefer the option with the better results. You can then compare this with alternative C, and so on. At the end of such testing phases, you will have found the option that works best for you.
There are experts who emphasize that it would be advantageous to make radical changes to the alternatives rather than just comparing small differences in detail. You should therefore choose this route at least at the beginning of a test phase. You can then do the fine-tuning later.
You can also use the same approach when looking for a partner online. Therefore, use A/B testing techniques for your online dating .
Do's - This is what you should focus on
Test different variants and compare the results. This works great for your profile text, profile picture, and the messages you send to other members.
In such tests it is important to only change one component and then compare the results before and after. An example: You have two different photos of yourself and don't really know which of the two you should take.
In this case, simply upload one of the two and observe the reactions of other members, your profile visits and contacts over a set period of time (2 weeks, 1 month, ...). Then delete this image and upload the second photo.
Observe again over the same period of time and compare the results at the end. The numbers will tell you which photo is more suitable.
You can also carry out the same type of tests with your profile text. Here it is advisable to initially use completely different texts and then make the fine adjustments later. The same also works with the messages you send.
As you can see, you can optimize virtually every aspect of your online dating presence this way. If the scenarios presented are not enough for you, you can continue testing and compare the different times of day for making contact to see if they are likely to be successful, you can put the contact frequency to the test, etc. Practically speaking, any influencing factor can be tested, as long as more than one Alternative is available to choose from.
I'm sure you can think of many more application scenarios...
