Tips for choosing a Succesful Dating Site template and Dating App Design

The Top 16 Must-Have Features For Your Dating Site and App

June 24, 2022

Dating app marketing strategy: how to promote your dating application

July 22, 2022

Published by Alexa on July 8, 2022

What is a website and app template?

Web and app templates are a great way to save time and money on your next dating project. As many of you know, building a dating website or app from scratch can be very time-consuming and costly. This is especially true for smaller businesses with tight budgets. But there’s good news! Using a template cuts down on design and development time, so you can build your dating website or application faster for less money.

A website template is basically a pre-designed layout, that you can still customize to your needs and add content. With an already completed code base, layouts for pages and etc. - all you have to do is customize it to fit your brand image.

There are plenty of free templates out there but if you want something more specific then we would strongly recommend ordering a custom one that will be uniquely designed by professionals in dating site designs. That means you'll get a high-performing and professional-looking site or mobile app without having to do the heavy lifting yourself. A template will also make it simple for you to make changes yourself so you don't have to hire full-time web designers.

How do I choose a dating site and app template?

The good news is that there are plenty of great website templates to choose from, so getting started with your own dating app or dating site should be relatively easy. But in order to ensure you pick the right template for your dating app, it’s important to understand the difference between website templates and website themes.

The website theme is about the design in general. It controls the color scheme, shapes of the page elements, etc. For example, your theme could dictate the website's main color, the font style, and the shape of the buttons. The website template is a layout for the main elements of the website. It will define the elements like header, text, images, videos, sidebars and etc., and the way they are placed on the website.

The other important thing you need to figure out is the platform you want to use for building your website. To code a website from scratch is very expensive and not always the best venture. It might be a good option if you have in mind something completely unique. However, instead of reinventing a wheel, online entrepreneurs mostly prefer to use a platform that already has all the needed features for your site. There are all sorts of dating software and platforms that allow you to create a dating platform, and Skadate is one of them. Unlike any other popular platforms like WordPress, for example, Skadate was made to design specifically social matchmaking platforms.

Consider your niche's specifics

When it comes to picking a template for your dating website, you have quite a few niche specifications to choose from. Whether it’s a simple dating site design or something more complex (with community building, messaging capabilities, etc.), it's all defined by your niche. For example, if you are making a dating platform for people with a special medical condition, thank that they might be interested in sharing their stories, asking questions, and communicating with others through the website's forum. Even if it hasn't been their primary interest when they've registered on the website, it's still a great opportunity to meet the members of their community and maybe find someone special there. In general, keep these things in mind when selecting a right layout.

You will also want to think about your target market. If you’re trying to attract a mature public seeking for a serious commitment but decide on a younger crowd by using something like Tinder as your model, you might be setting yourself up for failure. Make sure you know who your target audience is before settling on a template so that they can experience exactly what they're looking for when they sign up. You'll also want to think about how many people are already using similar sites/apps before making a decision. You can check out Google Trends data to see which apps are most popular right now and what features users have been asking for recently.

Still haven't decided on a niche? Check the article "Top 12 Niche Dating Sites in 2022".

Choose a responsive design

In a nutshell, a responsive design represents the flexibility of the website's elements, its navigation, and a general look on all devices, whether it's a desktop, mobile, or tablet. If you're building a dating website or online matchmaking tool and want to maximize your reach, choose a responsive design. An ideal dating website template will allow users to swipe and browse without feeling like they need to exit out of your site in order to do so. A responsive design can make an app feel more immersive because it's easy for your users to click through with just one or two clicks rather than opening another window or navigating back and forth from one part of your site to another. Without a responsive design, you might be missing out on conversions that would have been possible if your entire site were fully functioning as an app. Website templates are also an excellent choice if you want to customize the look and feel of your interface before launch. A website template is essential for any company looking to launch a new dating site or application.

Know your template provider and customer support

Selecting a website template may sound easy enough—but it's not, and there are some important things to know before you begin. It’s essential to do your homework. For example, when you're choosing templates, make sure that they come from reputable providers and have solid customer support—otherwise, you could be setting yourself up for trouble down the road. There is nothing worse than being stuck with poor-quality code or someone who can't answer your questions when you need them most. Once you've chosen your template, check out their customer support options (if any).

The quality of customer service will vary greatly depending on what type of dating site template you select. Some companies offer free lifetime technical support, while others don't offer any at all. Before deciding on a template provider, ask what their plan is in terms of ongoing customer service if anything goes wrong with your site later on—or even if something needs updating periodically. If the provider you're considering doesn't offer customer support, you may want to think strongly about choosing a different provider so you don't get stuck unable to make changes or improvements on your app or website.

Look for flexibility and customization options

Is there a solution that gives you more control over how your dating site template looks and functions? Look for a site builder that comes with customization options, from template design to layout options. A good platform will let you build a website, while a great one lets you tinker with every single element, allowing you to easily change colors, text, fonts, and more.

Sometimes the company that creates the dating website template also does customization if it requires. So for example, even if you like the website's theme, you still want to change the website's layout like maybe add a video or some scrolling effects. You can ask a third-party developer to do that, however, as they usually charge per hour, it might take a while for them to accomplish the task. If you go directly to the theme's developers for customization, they might spend less time and do a better job as they know their code.

So don't be shy and go for customizing your dating site. Let it be unique!

Make sure navigation is pleasant

Navigation is perhaps one of, if not THE most important aspect of any dating app or website. First and foremost, your navigation must be pleasant and functional. If a user cannot locate something on your app or website within a reasonable amount of time then they will likely leave and never return. I personally prefer to have all navigational elements front and center on my screen (for example bottom navigation). This way if I click on any one element it takes me to another page with all top-level links (basically what you would find in your mobile browser's URL bar) available. The last thing you want is for your users to be clicking around the screen trying to figure out how to get back home.

The only other navigational tip I can offer is using contrasting colors so that when someone scrolls down their screen the navigation pops out at them and draws their attention back up. Other than that it’s really just about being creative and sticking to what makes sense.

Customization options to think about

If you’re familiar with website template design, there are countless different customization options to think about. One of those is using different colors and images throughout your design. For example, if your site is meant to target younger online daters, you might choose modern colors and a clean, minimal look and feel. If your audience wants to see pictures of their potential matches in photo albums rather than simply being able to browse names and interests, it might be worth considering including custom image-uploading features on your dating website. You also have lots of different options when it comes to deciding whether or not you want people's information stored on separate pages from their profiles or displayed as part of their profile info.

Depending on what your goals are for the website, this can be an important decision. Some templates offer ways to customize which categories you show users based on where they live or what language they speak. It would be wise to sit down and make a wish list of all the features and customizations you might want to implement into your website or app so you can choose a template that offers everything you need. In addition, the question of monetization may come up at some point during your search: Do you want ads running all over the place? Or do you want to sell subscriptions for advanced features? Again, there are lots of options here that can vary widely depending on what type of business model you prefer.

How do I choose a stunning dating website color scheme?

When you’re looking to revamp your dating website color scheme, consider what your target audience is most likely to find attractive. This can be tricky - depending on your website's topic you may want to choose one color combination over the others. Ask yourself, what emotions do I want people to experience on my website? Do you want them to jump into the sexy mood or rather loving and friendly? What do you stand for? For example, red-dominant color palettes tend to read as appealing and arousing, whereas green-dominant palettes can be perceived as pleasing and friendly but unarousing. If you choose wisely and create a bold online presence with an eye-catching design, you could increase traffic significantly!

It’s also important to make sure that the template you choose matches what you want your site to represent or convey. You want it to match your brand identity so customers will recognize it as authentic. That way they won’t get confused or think they need to sign up for multiple sites if they want different things from each one. When choosing what colors work best for your online persona, remember that not all colors work well together and there are always exceptions to the rule. For instance, purple tends to look drab when paired with a lot of other colors (except bright yellows). It may seem like no big deal since many purple websites use shades of violet which usually complement other colors rather than clash against them. However, these colors don’t provide the energy boost other colors might; meaning users will become bored by this type of background. If you're really feeling stumped, you might consider asking members of your target demographic to take a survey about how certain colors make them feel.

But in any case, if you feel drained by trying to figure out the color schemes and palettes, maybe it's better to outsource it to the professionals.

Make it easy for customers to communicate

A dating site template that's easy for users to communicate with each other is essential. With a dating site template, you can choose whether or not to implement a chat system and how complex to make it, and a whole lot more. All of these options come together in one nice package that makes it easy for people to connect with one another! Make sure that your dating site template has all of these features. Most of them are free, too, which means that you don't need to spend any money upfront just to get started. Of course, there are some premium templates out there that may offer additional features like a newsletter signup form or even exit-intent popups; however, if you're just looking for something basic then free templates should be sufficient, especially when it comes to basic communication between online daters.
It's important to keep in mind that every dating site template is different because they serve different purposes. For instance, some websites may want a blog while others may want video integration capabilities.

Pay attention to SEO friendliness

What defınes an SEO-friendly website template? Well, there are many factors that matter for SEO at some point, but if we are talking about site templates it's all about 1) the design responsiveness (we've talked about it previously) and 2) optimized JS code that allows the website to open and load elements on the page fast.

Be sure that you choose a dating site template that’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly and makes it easy to optimize your site for search engines. Why is that important? Well, let’s say you manage to get a few thousand visitors per month; while they’re on your site, they don’t convert into subscribers or sign-ups because it takes too long to load or has poor content, you'll need to know about it right away. If someone doesn’t convert, you not only lose that sale but also are missing out on future customers who read reviews and write articles about your brand. It takes just a few moments to make sure a dating site template is right for SEO but can save you hours (or even days) of frustration later down the road.

One of the first things you should look at when considering which template to choose is how often you plan on updating your website. If you plan on adding new features or making changes to what's already there, will the current design allow for this? You may want to go with something that has modular elements so adding new pages won't be as difficult in the future. With proper SEO in place, you'll be able to compare and contrast how different sites and features perform and will allow you to hone in on what will succeed. SEO will also help new customers find you through commonly searched phrases.

The internet is huge and full of millions of websites - some no one has ever heard of before! Achieving good rankings on Google and other major search engines gives your company more visibility and will attract more customers. When picking a template, you should always consider what business functions you have planned for the future - like social media integration or an online store. An SEO-friendly site template allows flexibility as your business grows so changes don't mean starting from scratch every time.

Check the article "How to monetize a dating site and app in 2022" to explore methods of making money on dating sites.

Examples of great dating app designs with dating app templates

Looking at what others have done can help you understand better how to match your brand with an app template and pick a great dating app design. The key is to think about what you want your dating site or app to be (visual style, personality) then decide which template could work best. Take a good look at some of the most popular dating websites and apps out there and make note of the elements that catch your eye as they're the ones that will attract your future customers too. With that said, let's jump into some of the top examples of stellar dating apps so you can take inspiration from them when choosing your own template.

Tinder

If you want to design a dating app, one of your best examples is Tinder. This app simplifies your life by creating a clear, fun, and non-threatening environment where you can easily meet people nearby. People are presented with pictures of their potential matches and simple yes/no questions: do you like them? Are they right for you? Once that’s decided, you swipe right if you’re interested or left if not – assuming they did too! It’s an instant way to connect with people who share similar interests. The challenge that many people have when it comes to online dating is overcoming approach anxiety – but thanks to Tinder, there’s no need to worry about striking up a conversation with someone; it happens automatically. Their clean and bright design also makes it an attractive app for the younger demographics who tend to enjoy a more casual dating scene.

OkCupid

Not only is OKCupid one of the most popular dating sites, but it’s also a great example of a dating app template design. They do an amazing job of getting users to quickly fill out their profiles, creating matches based on location, profile information, and search history. What makes this site so successful? It's simply because they have successfully made it about you and your personality! A lot of people may not be aware that OKCupid actually offers many features like Compatibility Matching (the likelihood you'll have good chemistry with someone), Discovery (browse profiles at your own pace), and Bots (try your luck with an algorithm). As a website template builder, these are things you will want to take into consideration when choosing your template.

Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel is one example of an online dating app that chose the strategy to distance itself from Tinder as much as possible by focusing on making profile pages feature-rich and even allowing to like or comment. The light and airy design complements the minimalist culture and makes the users feel safe and relaxed while browsing their potential partners.

Plenty of Fish

One of our more popular dating app design examples, Plenty of Fish is a great example to study. POF may not have grown into quite as big of a name as Match or eHarmony, but it's still quite successful. It was even featured in Lady Gaga's "Telephone" song! The design is quite simple but familiar to users as they intuitively navigate through the app. While the general site template is quite basic, the details are what make it stand out in the dating app market. There are questionnaires like Chemistry Test and Relationship Needs Assessment; a section in a profile called "First Date idea" and a carousel-like feature that shows potential matches.

Examples of dating site design and template

eHarmony

Dating sites need to be easily navigable and full of relevant, fresh content. Not every dating site is created equal, so when choosing a template, it’s important to consider what you want your users to see when they log in. On eHarmony, users can select their preferred interests and browse profiles based on mutual attraction rather than dating site algorithm habits like like-minded people or similar tastes. And with a slick design that clearly separates messaging from browsing, eHarmony allows users to focus on finding lasting connections instead of feeling cluttered by endless options. Also great: its app design is user-friendly and focused on keeping matches off smartphones until a mutual connection has been established via email or text messages.

Match

Of course, Match has become a dating website design example in its own right. But they’ve done more than just provide great services – they’ve made sure that every aspect of their site is conducive to a great user experience. The layout is clear and easily navigable, photos are high-quality and attractive, and communication between members is clearly displayed. That all sounds obvious – but Match focuses on these things so well that it elevates them to best practices for other sites. For example, their effective messaging format means that even if you don’t respond to someone quickly, they’ll still see your message in a prominent location at a time when they can actually engage with it. And the ease of access to search features makes finding matches easy. Not everyone is going to want to pay for the full version, but it's hard not to be impressed by what the free service offers: matches based on age and gender preference as well as preferences such as smoking status or whether children are desired or not. If there's one complaint about Match's website template, it's that registration requires a fair amount of personal information up front. You can keep these pros and cons in mind when choosing your own template and designing your own website.

Zoosk

Another great dating website design example is Zoosk. This dating website template has a clean and colorful look with a great user interface. Zoosk provides some really nifty tools to get people who like each other connected, so it’s got a very social feel to it. It is also responsive, which means that it works just as well on a tablet or smartphone as it does on a desktop computer, an increasingly important factor as more and more people turn to their phones and tablets when searching for information. The home page of Zoosk also features a large dating headline that informs users what they can expect to find on their site. They offer 10-day free trials so potential customers can try out the service before signing up for anything. And because it's a dating site, it has all the basic profile customization options, but also allows you to upload your own pictures from your phone if you have no access to a camera. Zoosk is another great example of how there are lots of different ways to design a successful dating website template!

Christian Mingle

If you are going to start a religious dating website, there is no better example than Christian Mingle. It took Christian Mingle just seven years to become one of the most popular online dating sites in America. The site’s founders understood exactly what people wanted and they offered it at a reasonable price. You will notice that Christian Mingle also hired an experienced design company that understood how to create a website template that would be both functional and visually appealing. This is because having a great design can make all of the difference on which dating site users decide to join and how successful their business ultimately becomes. Even if you choose a different template than what their site looks like, you can still draw a great deal of inspiration.

Decide on Your Template and Get Started

As with any project, it's best to start by breaking your website or app down into its key components. If you're building your dating site from scratch, you'll need to choose and download your template. The good news is that many dating sites and app templates are now available as code, which will save you time and energy in creating your new website or app. If your budget doesn't allow for custom coding, look out for an off-the-shelf option. They're usually easy to implement and can help get your new website or app up and running quickly. There are lots of types of templates to choose from: some offer one design layout, while others have numerous layouts and styles. What's important is that the template you choose fits the type of website or app you want to create. Make your wish list of features and design ideas, do your research, and then make your decision so you can get started.

Need help? Contact us today and we can walk you through it!

Alexa

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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.

Tips for choosing a Succesful Dating Site template and Dating App Design

The Top 16 Must-Have Features For Your Dating Site and App

Dating app marketing strategy: how to promote your dating application

Table of contents

What is a website and app template?

How do I choose a dating site and app template?

Consider your niche's specifics

Choose a responsive design

Know your template provider and customer support

Look for flexibility and customization options

Make sure navigation is pleasant

Customization options to think about

How do I choose a stunning dating website color scheme?

Make it easy for customers to communicate

Pay attention to SEO friendliness

Examples of great dating app designs with dating app templates

Tinder

OkCupid

Coffee Meets Bagel

Plenty of Fish

Examples of dating site design and template

eHarmony

Match

Zoosk

Christian Mingle

Decide on Your Template and Get Started

Alexa

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