7 Kick Ass Landing Page Tips for the Dating Niche

It’s been a while since I had a really kick ass post on ad campaigns and creatives. So while I was looking for some new offers today, I was thinking about how much we can learn from the different landing pages that we have access to, specifically in the dating niche. Let’s take a look at 7 different dating web sites, their landing pages and what we can learn from each.

Would you like to create your own dating landing pages and increase conversions in the process? Be sure to check out my AdsBridge review, which walks you through the process of how to create landing pages, split test and track conversions all at the same time.

Exclusivity is Great – Make them Want to See More!

True.com is one of the largest dating web site around. Lately they have been doing a great job with their landing pages and showing a “sneak peak” of member photos, but the majority of them are blocked by a free photo search form, which actually leads to a full registration path. True is giving visitors to their site a taste of the members that are inside… and these member profiles change and rotate every time a new visitor views the page. Want to see what’s inside, and more member photos? You need to signup!

Who Doesn’t Want to See Live Video?

Many landing pages are now incorporating video into their signup process. This is something that True.com also did for a while, and had a lot of success with it. Some web sites are showing flash or animated images instead of a real video feed, but only online marketers will really notice the difference. How many people are visiting these web sites and think a single girl on the couch is actually talking to them when they access the page? Conversions don’t lie!

Your Information is Private and Secure!

When it comes to online dating, you probably want most of your information private. When it comes to online cheating and adultery, you can bet the customers really want their information private. This is something that can clearly be seen and stressed on Ashley Madison’s ad copy. While the ethics and morality of Ashley Madison is another topic, they do everything they can to make the point that your information will be kept “discreet”, “anonymous” and kept private with their “Trusted Security Award” and “SSL Secure Site” notifications. Think these types of words and secure icons/awards don’t matter? Split test some add copy and you will be amazed at how much people put trust into their areas.

C’mon… Stock Photos… Really? They Work!

For any marketers and designers out there that take some time to actually look through stock photos instead of stealing every amateur looking Google Image and Facebook user profile they can find, you will notice that Mate1 really likes to use stock photo images. You will come across plenty of their model images on sites like iStockPhoto and others. Most dating web sites and affiliate landing pages will prefer to use more original and amateur looking images, as they are more believable… but mate1 has become one of the largest and most successful dating sites online. Looks like it’s working for someone. (also take note of their great integration of signing up through facebook!)

2,537 Real Singles in Your Area!

Oh my gosh! Look how many other attractive singles are in my area, and are actually on the web site I’m potentially looking at joining… how ironic! Sure, it’s another silly marketing tactic that all of us already know about, but to the average visitor to these web sites, there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be real. Almost all dating landing pages are still geo-target their traffic and showing statement like “434 Singles Currently in “Your Town” Online“… The difference is between the ones who can do it best and show actual member profiles and locations in the process. AdultFriendFinder and FriendFinder have been doing this forever, and they are one of the largest dating networks in the game. You can always learn something from these guys.

Give Them What They Really Want?

Really, a whole dating network around the idea of “Rich Men”?… that would never work! Of course it would, people are shallow and there is big money in catering to people and giving them exactly what you want. Why do guys join the web site?… they know women will do anything for money and they can get a younger girl since they are loaded. Why would women join the site? Women know that guys with money can offer them financial security and be a sugar daddy. Take a lesson from the success of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Matchmaker”… this is a serious business and it’s all about catering to people’s needs, no matter what they want. (again… check out the awesome integration of Facebook on the top navigation bar and sign up process)

Ridiculously Easy Signup Process

I keep pointing out the landing pages that are now offering Facebook as an alternative to a long signup page process. This is working and it’s making it a lot easier and faster for people to sign up to these dating web sites. The hardest part about getting someone to join a dating web site, is to get them to take the first step. Some dating sites have ridiculously long forms that look like a loan application. These types of sites are very serious about who they are accepting in their dating networks. Other dating sites like AmateurMatch.com starts the signup process off with a ridiculously short and simple form, which then leads to more demographic information requests. It’s all about getting the user started and further down the path to being a full registered user. A multi-step signup process in small steps works!

Bonus: Targeting an Exact Niche

A decade ago when dating sites were just starting to pop up all over the place, most of them were for a broad and generic audience. Then a demand came around for more targeted dating web sites, such as “Christian” or “Jewish” dating… then ethnicity and other exact match dating sites started to pop up. Now we see everything from dating sites for every religion, gender preference, cheating or whatever you can possibly think of. The bottom line is, its much easier to target a person that is Christian and single, and looking for the same type of person, with a “Christian” dating web site, then a generic site or landing page. The concept works, and we will continue to keep seeing more dating network expand out to smaller niche brands as their audience and competition continues to grow.

As an online marketer, the world of online dating is always an exciting and competitive one to be in. As long as there are single people, there will always be a new wave of revenue to be generated from these web sites. In the end, it’s all about creating the best ad campaigns with killer landing pages and demographic targeting.