The Top 16 Must-Have Features For Your Dating Site and App
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For the last couple of years, we can observe a change in users' online dating habits. The rapid growth of online dating applications and websites is mainly caused by COVID-19 restrictions that hold people at home and shift the usual dating venue from bars and clubs to online platforms, thus it increased the demand for applications and dating websites with various features.
In recent years, the market and the online presence experience have changed. While the new generation is more driven by video content, which appears as a new way of self-presentation in apps like Lively, those looking for more mature dating request more advanced matchmaking and potential partners selection process. Applications like OkCupid and Eharmony for example, provide users with a long questionnaire for identifying touchpoints for potential matches.
If you are planning to create your own dating website or app, the exact set of features will completely depend on the main idea of your platform. However, the trends and market analyses can help you focus on what is in demand right now so that you reach general expectations. In this article we've prepared a list of common dating website features that any platform must have in 2022.
Basic must-have features for users
1. Advanced Chat and Messaging - a dating website feature #1
Despite the conventional opinion that this option is given for most apps, for mobile apps, it is crucial to include a feature-rich chat where users can not only send texts but also attach instant photos, record voice messages, and so on. Since texting is a major thing in online dating, this is a great opportunity to limit communication to only paid subscribers.
You can also implement a policy like messaging only for premium members or sending a certain number of messages per day. It's all up to your business model. But make sure you have some kind of limitation here because otherwise, you will have people spamming each other with no incentive to become a paying member. Also, make sure you have an easy way for users to block other members who are being annoying or rude so that your users feel confident and safe using your site or app.
2. Matchmaking algorithm
When selecting a dating software, you might be interested in how the matchmaking algorithm functions. If you are going to make a dating website for serious dating, it is probably not enough to just have a simple Tinder-like algorithm based on the users' location and the time spent in the app.
Using OkCupid as an example, an algorithm is used to pair users together based on their responses to questions at the beginning of the survey.
Skadate software's matchmaking solution enables you to connect with those who share your interests and preferences. In answer to Skadate's interest and preference questions, you can indicate which jobs or hobbies are important to you, and the match with those who are likewise compatible will occur more often. The two most popular features of our matching system are My Type and Searches. My Type helps you find someone similar to yourself by filtering out people that don't fit your type. Searches help people find others by specifying certain criteria such as age range, height, education level etc.
These features give users a lot of control over their experience and help ensure that they meet someone who is truly compatible with them.
3. In-app search
It's often the case that people searching for someone to date on the internet have a clear idea of the sort of person they're looking for. Whether it's the right age range, physical features, interests, or views, they search for the things they know they'll like. With flexible search criteria, the user will be able to feel satisfied with their search time by skipping their boredom.
With Skadate, they are able to select various filters that fit their preference. For example, you can choose to see all members who are 25-40 years old and live within 10 miles of your location. This saves you time and helps you find what you want faster than having to browse through pages and pages of potential matches. If you develop your own site with the help of Skadate, you'll have the opportunity to include features like this as well.
4. Dating Safety Features
Nothing is worse than waking up one day to learn that your account has been hacked or someone you're dating has scammed you. To avoid these kinds of unpleasant situations, it's important to implement safety features on your dating site or app that give users peace of mind. These features include: geolocation checks (to make sure people are where they say they are) and anti-scam measures.
You can even leverage Google Captcha by asking a user to retype a word or sentence. Users will feel more secure knowing that these features exist, which can lead to higher conversion rates and happier customers.
Must-have features for owners
5. Spam Filtering
Spam filtering is an important feature to have in your dating app or website. To prevent users from getting frustrated with bots and scammers, you need to do everything you can to ensure your site stays spam-free. A little extra effort spent on spam filtering will make all of your other efforts - including word-of-mouth marketing and SEO - that much more effective.
When customers trust your platform, they’ll be more likely to come back and recommend it to others. Spam filtering works by creating a honeypot: a group of fake profiles or dummy accounts designed to attract unwanted attention while weeding out those that might have already been corrupted by spammers' attempts at infiltration
6. Profiles moderation and security
It might not be your first guess, but user moderation and security are by far the most valuable features for a dating site in 2022. With romance scams accounting for such a high number of those committing fraud during the pandemic, there was a record-breaking $547 million lost by online daters in 2021.
For example, take the Tinder Swindler story. Absolutely, it created a lot of trust issues with online dating, but a well-managed platform would greatly enhance the user experience, create engagement, and restore its reputation. This would pave the way for the future of online dating.
These are the types of options that might come in handy. For example, reports about abuse, blocking certain users, or talking to the site administrator. All these features will help your users stay safe on your app.
To learn more about the security features, follow "Top safety features for dating sites to protect users from scams".
7. Subscription for a premium membership with advanced features
With no question, a subscription has been one of the most popular ways for an entrepreneur to make money so far, used by the top industry leaders. Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, etc.
However, it's interesting to note that a study by Grand View shows that advertising takes precedence over subscription. What this means is that you can make use of the premium features only if you're a premium member. This way, free members will only have access to basic features, which will then encourage them to become premium members.
For example, you can limit messaging, video calls, or sending gifts to free members, so that members will then be motivated to upgrade to your premium features. As such, when setting up your dating site or app, it’s important to think about how you’ll utilize features like advanced search and features within paid subscriptions. It’s always a good idea to start with what’s best for users first and what’s more beneficial for business second. If people enjoy using your dating site or app, they won't mind paying fees as long as they feel their experience was worth it!
Good-to-have features
8. Push Notifications for the Mobile App
No matter how loyal customers are, they will likely forget about your app if you don't engage them enough. Setting up push notifications to remind them of events like a new match or message, not only excites them but keeps the app popular.
All the same, it's all about personalization. No one wants to get notifications that are irrelevant to them. This is why the ability to set and modify real-time alerts in the settings of your dating site or app could be a very helpful feature. This way, users can choose what kinds of messages and reminders they want to receive. If someone isn’t interested in receiving just for fun questions from matches, for example, then he or she can turn off these features so as not to be bothered by such things anymore. This also prevents an overabundance of questions from being sent at once—which may seem excessive when dealing with hundreds of users on a regular basis.
9. Video-chat
Other video-related options for online dating, as should be expected in any dating website today, are live video chat or calls. Video chatting has become an integral part of our day-to-day life. People of all ages, whether in school, at work, or in any other social setting, have largely moved away from traditional means of communication in favor of live video feeds. Even dating is transitioning this way. While this is not a new idea, it has a number of great features.
One example is Lively, a video-based social app from Zoosk that allows users to blur their video for the first 40 seconds of a video conversation. It's useful when the users want to focus on the conversation before having to focus on camera aesthetics, like hair and makeup.
Another feature that makes video chats attractive is its ability to save time. In fact, research shows that video calling can save users up to 2 hours per week! This is because you don't need to schedule phone calls with people or play phone tag. You can also speak more freely without a lot of back-and-forth texting. All you need is a webcam or smartphone camera and internet connection - which most people already have - and voila! You're ready for a video call with anyone who also has these things available.
To learn more about Video-chat, follow "All you need to know about having a video chat on your dating website".
10. Social Media Integration
Social integration is important, particularly in your dating app or website. Think about it: It’s much more likely that someone will be inclined to use your app if they already have an account with Facebook or Twitter. And even if they don’t have a social media account, but know other people who do, it’s almost a guarantee that they are going to know at least a few of their friends and family members who would also use your dating app.
That said, you need to make sure that you offer social integration features in order to take advantage of these opportunities. The best way to think about social integration features is by asking yourself what happens when someone decides to share information from your dating site or app on one of their social media accounts. Keep security in mind but still take advantage of social integration.
11. Integrated Google Map
User location is a crucial part of online dating - so you need to make sure your app or website has a great map integration feature. Your users want to know their location and you want to give it to them, but that also means your company will have access to data on those users so you can tailor your marketing and ensure your site or app is catering to your demographic well.
Google Maps is one of the most popular ways people share one's location, so integrating it into your product will appeal to many customers. Remember that when it comes to location, security is also very important so ensure your users are safe and secure and that you let them know that they are protected even when sharing their location.
Advanced features ideas
12. Video
People seem to appreciate the convenience of getting to see a video of someone before meeting them in person. An issue with online dating is that it may sometimes lead to meeting someone completely different who doesn't even remotely resemble the person they thought they were talking to. Consequently, the chances of having an unpleasant interaction decrease with video.
For example, Hinge now allows users to attach a video to their profile account, while Bumble added a story option similar to the Instagram solution. Some users show their pre-recorded videos either for everyone to see or only for potential matches. Others choose to make their videos private and allow only people whom they’ve already matched with to view them. It's important to provide privacy options for videos on your site or app so users can feel in control of who sees their content and more comfortable recording and posting videos.
13. Speed-Dating Feature
Speed-dating is an important feature to have in your dating app or website. You don’t want people to be able to sit and chat for hours; that just turns into a chatroom. This means you can’t make a database from people looking for love because most of them would be ignored anyway.
Speed-dating works to match people quickly but at random so there’s more time for everyone and less waiting around for couples to connect on their own. People won’t mind wasting a couple minutes here and there if they know they can meet multiple potential partners in one sitting. The only issue with speed-dating is how much it reduces each user’s ability to interact with other users. There needs to be some kind of follow up system where people who clicked "like" can get notifications when someone else does too, or maybe something like Tinder where users can continue chatting even after connecting through speed-dating. Keep that in mind when developing your own site or app.
14. Virtual Gifts
Keeping a dating website or app new and exciting is critical. You want to keep your users happy, especially if you're expecting them to pay to use your service. Virtual gifts are an important feature to have in your dating app or website. They let you create an experience for your users without leaving one footprint on their wallets.
In addition, virtual gifts are an excellent way of introducing gamification into your dating platform - something that's gaining popularity rapidly in consumer markets these days.
15. Video Watching Feature
The video-watching feature is one of those features that people look for when they are on dating apps. This feature is an excellent idea to have in your app or website because it allows users to watch videos together! It is a great way to share videos or memes together and talk about them.
To be able to share videos together, however, it needs to be secure in terms of privacy so only certain people can view certain videos. This means that two people watching a video on a dating app should only be able to see each other's profiles if they both approve it. When people are looking for relationships, they want someone who has similar interests with them.
16. Icebreakers
Icebreakers are an important feature to have in your dating app or website. These are questions you can ask your match and which they can also ask you, to get your conversation started. It's important to have good icebreakers available on your app because, if a match doesn't connect, it might be due to bad timing or they just don't know what to say next. You should aim for 30-50 questions in total to get the most out of this feature. Always add more than less!
How Skadate Can Help You Develop a Site With All the Features
If you are looking to develop a dating site or app with all of these great features in mind, check out Skadate. Skadate is a great way for businesses and startups to find affordable, highly qualified freelance software developers with specific skills that can help bring their idea to life quickly. Skadate is a team of talented professionals for companies seeking full-stack development. Contact us and our development team could help you to create a custom dating website or app.
If you are planning to create your own dating website or app, of course, the exact set of features will completely depend on the main idea of your platform. However, the trends and market analyses can help you focus on what is in demand right now.
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.
