How to Start Your Own Niche Dating Site
How to monetize a dating site and app in 2022
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May 22, 2022
They say love doesn't cost a thing, but that's not entirely true. People spend good money to get relationship advice, matchmaking services, and more to get a rush of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin (our "happy hormones"). A poll of 2,000 people published in The New York Post revealed that an average American spends $121,082.40 on dating. That's a lot of money for anyone trying to "get it right." But people love "love," and they will continue to shell out thousands - if not millions - of dollars trying. You recognize this need, and you have come up with a way to meet this need and make money. Your solution is a dating site to help people find their ideal partner. How can you start your own niche dating site? This comprehensive guide will give you all the information you need.
Let's get started!
What Is a Niche Dating Site?
A niche dating site is an application or platform that aims to help people who share similar interests, experiences, or hobbies connect. These sites help people who want to date based on factors such as religion, race, lifestyle, or other interests. The niche dating sites are usually created around one or several major factors such as:
- Age
- Race
- Religion
- Sexual Orientation
- Sexual Preferences
- Interests, hobbies
- Lifestyles
- Occupation
- Dating Motivation
Examples of niche dating sites are Seeking Arrangement, eHarmony, and JDate.
Why Start a Niche Dating Site?
One of the reasons why online dating is not working for some people is that perhaps they are searching for potential dates on the wrong sites. General dating apps like Tinder with a large pool of users sometimes can not fulfill your particular expectations. It's always easier to connect with people who share the same values as you do. That's where niche dating sites step in. They exist to help singles cut through the noise and niche down their pool of potential partners to find someone they are most compatible with. This bodes well for you as a potential entrepreneur!
How to Start a Niche Dating Site?
Like any business in the world, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Here are the steps we recommend:
1. Coming Up With the Idea
The first and obvious step to starting your own niche dating site is developing an idea. Most business ideas are a product of recognizing a need. In your case, you'd have figured out the niche you want to step in and estimate the demand.
Now, you have to come up with a solution to the problem that your product/service can address. Your big idea is a site that will help people find other people who have similar interests or experiences which are vital to them. Put pen to paper or open a word document and brainstorm a few ideas on how you will deliver this solution.
We have selected niche sites for dating that might inspire you and give you some ideas to start your own project.
2. Researching the Market
Next, you will study the market. You will survey the dating market to understand the industry's value, potential competitors, how much people are willing to spend, what features or services they are paying for, and what features or benefits they lack or would like to have.
For example, there were $6,400.0 million in revenues from online dating services in 2017 and $9,202 million by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.7%.
Sales have shown strong growth over the past couple of decades. It is due to the increase in singles worldwide, especially in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
 Online dating services have seen significant growth due to internet penetration worldwide. As a result, service providers have an excellent opportunity to gain traction among their target customers by providing tailored features tailored to their needs. From the data above, the market size is growing at a fast rate. It presents an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs. Of course, you will proceed to research your particular segment.Â
At this stage, you will also define your target audience. While apps like Tinder target everybody looking for love or romance, a niche dating site could be targeting members of a particular faith or race or hobby or experience, and so on. The ideas are endless! But pick a niche that is familiar to you.
3. Creating a Business and Marketing Strategy
What's the point of creating a website if no one knows it exists? It's critical to market your site adequately to help you find your target customers. While many people - including your friends - may be eager to use a dating site you created, don't count on it.
It's better to get the word out about your new venture through social media and search engines through online marketing channels. Your marketing approach will depend on the platform of your choice. The beauty of niche dating is that your marketing efforts can be laser-focused on your target customers. You'll know their likes, dislikes, favorite celebrities, favorite activities, and more!
Use these insights to create compelling content that attracts your target customers to your site or app and converts them into paying members or buyers of your products.
For instance, if your site aims at Jews, you may advertise on social media platforms such as Facebook and target Facebook users who follow Jewish Facebook pages and Jewish pages or groups or personalities. Publications like The American Israelite or Ami are also great places to advertise. When it comes to marketing, the idea is to think outside the box. Mix it up!
Check the "Dating app marketing strategy: how to promote your dating application" article to know more.
4. Monetizing your site
Now it's time to decide how you will monetize your dating website. Your options include:
Selling advertising space to third-party advertisers
You can sell ad space on your niche dating site to advertisers who want to reach your target audiences. Examples of such advertisers could be businesses or brands interested in promoting their products and services to your niche dating service members.
Selling access to premium accounts or features
You can also offer paid accounts or premium features to members on your site. Many popular dating services like Badoo provide users with free basic features but charge for premium or advanced features. These premium features may include having video chats with other people on the site, seeing who viewed your profile, seeing who visited your profile, and lots more.
Paid subscriptions
It is similar to premium access because members will have to pay to access your dating site's premium features or advanced features. In this monetization model, you can charge members every month or a flat fee upfront for a one-month or six-month subscription period.
Sell sponsored posts: You can get sponsored content or posts from third-party websites or brands which want to increase their popularity by advertising on your dating site.
Run affiliate links
You can also get affiliate commissions by selling dating products or services through your dating site. A commission of 5% or more on products you recommend helps to make your blog or online dating profile more lucrative. Some dating sites include affiliate links to Amazon, where readers can buy products they read about on the site.
Sell your expertise
You can also market your expertise and brand as a dating coach or consultant to singles looking for love or singles already dating. You can offer one-on-one coaching or counseling sessions to singles looking to improve their dating lives or find love.
We've prepared a more detailed guide for you to learn more about the monetization options, so feel free to check it out.Â
5. Building Up a List of Must-have Features
To keep users on your website, you have to offer them value through compelling content or features. Here are a few must-have features for your dating site:5.
User-friendly navigation
Your site's navigation should be intuitive and easy for users to understand and use. Users should be able to quickly find the site's navigation menus and tabs without consulting a guide or tutorial.
Functionality on mobile devices
Today's users engage in various activities on their mobile devices. If your dating site isn't responsive or "mobile-friendly," users may have a hard time accessing it or using the site's features or messaging platform.
Integrate a profile creator
A profile generator is a wizard that helps users create a profile for your site. The process should be easy and intuitive so that users can quickly fill out their profile information without hassles.
Social login
Another way to increase user signups is to offer the ability to log in to the site via their Facebook or other social media accounts. This makes signups quicker and easier as users don't have to spend a lot of time creating usernames and passwords or filling in details like their age or gender.
A user-friendly messaging interface
A messaging platform should be easy to use so that users easily communicate with each other on your site or app. The messages or chat history should be easily searchable so that users can find old messages.
Categorize according to preferences
Users should be able to choose dating preferences when it comes to finding and connecting with other singles on the site. They should be able to choose what they're looking for in a potential partner or date. For example, if users want to date other Christians or Jews or vegans, or vegetarians, they should be able to post their profile under one of these categories.
Add a compatibility checker
It allows singles to gauge their compatibility with potential partners. It should be easy to use so that users can quickly answer questions such as whether they'd be a good romantic match with someone on the site or whether they can meet in real life.
Localize
Some dating sites allow users to search for potential dates in the same or nearby locations. The same principle applies when it comes to localizing your site. Provide users with the ability to see whether there are singles in their area or the same city or state who match their dating preferences or criteria.
Provide suggestions
As a site administrator, you can add different dating suggestions that users can employ to find new dates or partners. These suggestions can be based on users' profiles or search criteria. As long as it doesn't seem forced, they will appreciate it.
Trusted payment gateway integration
A payment gateway is a digital service that allows users to make online payments through credit or debit cards, PayPal, and other digital payment services. However, be careful with PayPal: if your website has some explicit or provocative content, your account can be restricted. Stripe is usually more loyal when it comes to usage policy. A good payment gateway should be easy to use so that users don't abandon their shopping carts or browsers when paying online.
In "The Top 16 Must-Have Features For Your Dating Site and App" article you will explore what features will help make your site interesting and useful to the user.
6. Finding a Dating Software and Development Company
By now, you already know how important choosing a viable dating software provider is to the success of your website or app project. Here are some factors to keep in mind when choosing a dating software provider:
Support options
Your chosen software solutions provider should offer support options to help you overcome any technical issues that crop up while building your site or app or after its launch. Support options should include on-site and remote support options that allow users to report problems or request support through phone email, calls, or online chatting platforms like Skype and Google Hangouts.
Project timeline
Your chosen software provider should be able to provide accurate project timelines to help you estimate how long your dating project will take to complete. Timelines may vary depending on the complexity of the project and the number of developers working on your project.
References and reviews
Your chosen vendor should be able to provide references or testimonials from past clients who have worked with the vendor on similar projects.
You should check whether past clients found working with the vendor easy or whether they would like to share any unpleasant experiences they may have had with the vendor.
Localization capabilities
If you're interested in launching an international dating website or app, you should choose a software vendor who can provide localization support to ensure that your website or app is marketed and localized to different cultures, regions, and countries around the globe. Different countries have unique and other dating preferences when finding love or meeting potential dates, so it's essential to make sure your site appeals to them and is convenient to use and navigate.
Security and privacy standards
The vendor you choose to work with should have robust security and privacy policy to protect your users' data and privacy.
A robust privacy and security policy should include the following basic standards: SSL and 256-bit encryption to protect credit card transactions and personal information; HIPAA compliance to protect medical information and other sensitive data; PCI compliance to protect credit card information; and EU data protection and privacy policies to protect user data and personal data, among others.
Pricing options and discounts
Your chosen vendor should be able to provide a variety of pricing options that cater to different budgets, project types, and timeline requirements.
You should ask about available discounts or deals, such as a refundable deposit or free setup fee, that might help you save money on your project. It is also essential to determine how the vendor bills for ongoing work on a project and whether it bills on a per-project basis or a monthly or annual basis.
Check the article "Best Dating Software Comparison" to explore which dating software company is the best for you.
Best Niche Dating Website Examples
Biker Planet
Biker Planet is the premier place to find others who share your passion for motorcycles. Sites like this cater to singles seeking relationships and provide extensive profile options. Your profile has several open-ended questions, including some that align with the site's theme, such as 'What's your favorite mountain or road to ride?ride?ride? ''What's your favorite biker event to go to?'
Fitness Singles
Fitness Singles brings together people interested in fitness for romance and companionship. It's user-friendly primarily to browse profiles, and the profiles themselves do an excellent job of conveying where each member excels in fitness.
Single Parent Meet
Single Parents Meet both single moms and dads to meet other single parents serious about dating and finding love. By knowing that users of the site have kids, you can cut out that conversation and focus instead on finding matches based on interests beyond your children.
Game Dating
Gamer Dating is a dating site designed specifically for and by gamers. If you sign up for the site right away, you'll receive a free game upon landing on the page.
Searching, browsing, and finding matches are free, but you must pay to communicate. You can keep track of (and display) the games you enjoy at the site, which makes for great icebreakers.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Niche Dating Website?
Ideally, you can set up a basic website for around $1,000 including hosting, domain, and website setup. If you are not familiar with web development. it's always better to hand over the process to the professionals. If you need a more accurate price, check our price list for more information and precise pricing.Â
Start Your Niche Dating Site Today!
Feeling inspired yet? Are you ready to help people find love through your unique idea? Start your own niche dating site now! Contact skatedate.com to get started, and within a few short weeks, you could be on your way to a successful online project and launching an app or website that's growing in popularity and revenue! Skadate is a dating software development company that has been successfully launching online projects for more than 17 years. We are always ready to consult and help you to build a successful dating platform.Â
The complete guide on how to start a niche dating website.
Alexa is a sure-handed digital marketing person who helps small and middle-size businesses to grow online. She believes that a well-thought SEO strategy, smart targeting, and communication strategy could skyrocket any business.
