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With the ever increasing number of websites within the
online dating community, and the decreasing cost of php scripting
it's not surprising that we see more and more 'free membership'
niche dating sites, who seem to rely on their income from
advertising such as Google Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing. But is
offering free memberships the way forward?
The main difference
between online dating websites and other membership sites is that on
joining a dating website, you are required to make an attractive
profile, which is used almost as a marketing tool to present
yourself to other members in the best possible light. Without a
completed profile you haven't a chance of attracting other genuine
members who are seeking a partner.
Completing a
profile of one's self is regarded by many as the most boring, time
consuming chore you could ever be asked to perform by any website.
And a large percentage of surfers will "put it off till later today
or tomorrow" which in most cases means it will never be done. And in
fact oftentimes they will never even return to the
website.
Most researchers
will agree that those who join a website community solely because
its free, rarely return to the site or sustain an interest longer
than a few days. And it's not because they are forgetful and don't
remember registering, because the website administrators will almost
certainly send out reminders on a daily basis. The online membership
communities which includes dating sites would not exist if it
weren't for the members in their databases and it's important that
all members who bother to sign up, take an active part in the
community and the services it offers. Otherwise it is a waste of not
only the indolent member's time, but also the time of the website
administrator and other genuine members.
Whereas, on the
other hand, in the case of those membership sites that charge a
monthly fee to become a member, they will have very few users who
register, then stay away or don't bother to complete a profile. Once
a user has been tempted to take out his or her credit card, they
will be much more inclined to take their membership seriously enough
to create a decent profile and visit it several times a day to
monitor interest from other members.
The 'fee charging'
sites will find it much tougher to get sign ups, but whats the point
in having a couple of thousand members in your database if fifteen
hundred of them are dormant and don't even respond to your emails?
Much better for all concerned to just have five hundred interested
members who pay regular visits to the website and use the facilities
to the full.
But what of fee
charging dating sites that offer a free period as a trial
membership? Well that word "free" continues to cause complacency,
but to a lesser degree. Whilst a free period may attract prospective
members to a trial period, there are still a large percentage of
these free users, who do not return to the website after
subscribing.
Many dating sites
who offer a free trial period, require the user to complete a
profile before they are accepted as a free member. Some users
however, will want to explore the member database before joining,
and if required to join before they are allowed to search, a large
percentage of these users will simply move on, and prospective
members will be lost.. perhaps to a competitor website.
The highest number
of long term signups per 1000 site visitors is enjoyed by those
dating sites offering a free trial period, along with a script that
will auto delete profiles not completed within a given period of say
seven days. The lowest number of long term signups per 1000 site
visitors reflects the success rates of the 'absolutely free for all'
membership websites, dating or otherwise.
Trevor Taylor
- Sugar Daddy Haven - The #1 Sugar
Daddy Dating Site
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