All you need to know about having a video chat on your dating website
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Table of contents
- What is Online Dating Like in 2022?
- The Power of Video Chat
- How Video Chat Enhances Online Dating Post-Pandemic
- Best Practices for Video Chat on Online Dating Platforms
- How much does it cost to implement a video chat?
- Why You Should Include Video Chat
- How SkaDate Can Help You Create Your Dream Dating Website
- Why Video Chat is Essential to Your Dating Website or App
- The Future of Video Chat & Online Dating
To attract an audience and keep them coming back, you need to think of ways to make your website or app stand out from the rest of the crowd. If you don’t, you risk getting lost in the shuffle and losing users to competitors who do have cool features. One great way to make sure you stick out in the crowd of online dating websites and apps is by adding video chat functionality to your site or app, so let’s take a look at how this can be done and why you should consider it if you haven’t already.
What is Online Dating Like in 2022?
With more and more people becoming comfortable with online dating, new features will likely continue to emerge that make it easier for singles to meet and engage with each other in a new way. If these advancements include video chat, you can be sure that most of us will adopt them quickly.
In 2022, online dating will continue down its path toward social normalcy; even if you don't use dating sites now, your children might someday and likely many of the people you know are using online dating apps right now! With that in mind, you must stay on the cutting edge of trends and technology to keep up with the competition.
While online dating is becoming more popular, there are still numerous challenges that can arise when trying to meet people online. Truthfulness can also be a big concern for online daters. One of the biggest issues online daters are facing nowadays is that the person they saw online used their old photos in a dating profile, or maybe even faked them completely.
These kinds of experiences are not given more credit to online dating in general. That’s another area where video chatting can be so important. It will put online daters at ease when they can see someone “face to face” before dating in person.
The Power of Video Chat
Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook messager, Facetime, Zoom, and many other services are responsible for normalizing video-chat usage on a daily bases. No wonder an ever-increasing number of users have begun using video chat in dating apps too. Studies show that most people really do feel more comfortable when they meet face-to-face after having chatted over video first. And let’s be honest: visual chemistry is powerful! As such, having your potential mate appear on screen via video makes it even easier to judge how well you might get along, how attractive you find them, and how your conversation flows when you’re able to see each other’s faces.
How Video Chat Enhances Online Dating Post-Pandemic
OkCupid, Tinder, Grindr – they all have one thing in common. Video chat. In the pandemic and post-pandemic era, video usage has increased drastically. According to Adjust, 40% of users on Tinder used video chat during the 2020 lockdowns, and the same amount plan to use it in the future. After many months of isolation, singles are craving human connection more than ever, and therefore, the popularity of video chat is continuing to increase and is not expected to ever slow down.
Best Practices for Video Chat on Online Dating Platforms
When it comes to implementing video chat on your dating site or app, there are best practices that might be helpful to follow. If you want users to feel safe and comfortable while they’re chatting with potential dates, you have to establish clear privacy policies. People need to know that their information is protected.
Another important aspect of having a live video feature is the technology. Whether you use a plugin, build-in solution, or customization, make sure that you can provide a quality of image, sound, speed and etc. Does your server ready to handle dozens, hundreds, or thousands of live video calls at the same time?
We also recommend you pay attention to user-friendliness. If people spend too much time navigating through complicated and outdated software, they won't simply use it. Nor they will use your website. If they get too frustrated trying to make the video chat feature work on your website or app, they will likely leave.
How much does it cost to implement a video chat?
Alright, so we’ve established that video chat is a fantastic idea, but it might be more than you bargained for in terms of implementation. According to Shakuro, creating your dating app or website which includes video chat can cost $55,000-$100,000 to create. It's easy to hire additional developers at very high costs to manage your video streaming infrastructure but you will have to plan for that expense. Then there are maintenance fees on top of all that; again depending on how complicated your app is, those fees could be large or small - but never zero. So make sure you understand how much it costs to create your platform and add video chat capabilities before you get started.
The best way to get video chat into your dating app is to use software that is coming with it as a default feature. It'll save you a lot of money for additional development!
Why You Should Include Video Chat
There are several reasons you should include video chat in your online dating website or app. One is that it’s a great feature for quickly determining whether there’s a match between two users who find each other attractive, which can save them both time and money. If two people can see that they have chemistry in just a few minutes via video chat, then they don’t need to invest weeks or months into dating each other before they decide if there’s enough of a spark. A second reason is that we live in an increasingly mobile world and online dating apps are more popular than ever. With some of your largest competitors offering video chat, your app or website will need to have it too just to keep up and be considered a legitimate option by online daters. What other features will help you to compete in the industry you can read in the article.
How SkaDate Can Help You Create Your Dream Dating Website
As we mentioned before, the software you use is a stumbling rock for video chat implementation success. Instead of reinventing the wheel, it's always better to go with something well-tried. Something like Skadate - affordable and highly customizable software that has video chat by default. Skadate specializes in helping dating site owners create niche dating websites - they're not just a one-size-fits-all tool. You can add as many features as you want and it can help you plan out every detail of your website from start to finish. Anyways, maybe this is something you are looking for!
Why Video Chat is Essential to Your Dating Website or App
If you want to build a dating website or app, video chat is essential. Without it, your website is going to be outdated and not on par with what users are looking for. And let’s face it: video chat makes things more fun. You can see each other's reactions as you chat, laugh together, and really get to know each other in a way that text messaging just can’t replace. A lot of people have asked if they should include video chat directly in their website or app or use a third-party solution like Skype instead but direct will always be better.
The Future of Video Chat & Online Dating
The future of video chat and online dating is only going to get better. More and more websites are enabling video chat, which makes it easier than ever before to connect with potential mates in a safe and personal way. Whether they are looking for a long-term relationship or just wanting to have fun with someone new, online dating is one of today’s most common ways of meeting people. It allows endless options and lets you quickly find out whether that person is someone who shares your interests, lifestyle, or goals in life.
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.
