Does Online Dating Really Work?

Each year millions of people join dating websites and according to a recent YouGov poll a whopping 49% of men and 41% of women have tried online dating. The success rates are pretty high too, with 20% of all new marriages starting out online.

So what makes online dating so popular?

Online dating allows you to meet people who you wouldn’t have otherwise had the chance to meet. Although meeting at work or through friends is a great way to find someone with whom you have a common interest it relies on you having a big group of friends or a lot of luck.

Online dating enables you to choose from thousands of people from the comfort of your own home, but don’t worry niche dating sites like Muddy Matches allow you to search for members with similar interests so that you don’t get overwhelmed. However, remember not to filter out too many people straight away as searching for a 6’6” rugby player with a passion for flower arranging and rom coms would really limit your choices.

It’s very rare that you see people in the street with ‘single’ tattooed on their head, but with online dating people reveal their marital status up front so there’s no need for awkward questions on that front.  Also, with people listing their hobbies and uploading photos there will always be a starting point for conversation, cutting the need for cheesy chat up lines.

How do I make online dating work for me?

First of all you need to know that not all dating sites are the same; you may have heard shock stories from friends about scammers, but here at Muddy Matches we carefully review all member profiles to keep scammers away and you can also report members anonymously if you are not happy with their behaviour.

As a family run business we’re also keen to help our members, so we’re only a phone call away if you need any help setting up your profile!

Once you’ve completed your profile it’s important to be proactive, you wouldn’t put your CV online and hope to be approached by your dream employer and the same thing goes for dating- you need to be brave and contact other members. As they say ‘fortune favours the brave’.

However it’s also important to be realistic, if you approached 20 people in a pub and asked them if they’d like to go on a date with you, you wouldn’t expect all 20 to say yes. Even George Clooney and Angelina Jolie would get rejections. So don’t be disheartened if one person you fancy isn’t interested, there are plenty more members on Muddy Matches who will say yes.

What if I haven’t clicked with anyone yet?

If you haven’t found anyone you like so far, keep trying. Even a niche dating site like Muddy Matches has thousands of members joining each month and a number of our success stories have been from members giving the site one last try.

Would you recommend online dating to your friends? Email dating@muddymatches.co.uk to let us know.