Online Dating – First impressions count

Anyone who is single and wants a relationship has probably already dealt with the topic of singles exchanges and online dating .

are now looking for a partner for life or for new acquaintances or love affairs on dating and singles portals

Until a few years ago, it was still a bit difficult to admit that you met your partner on the Internet. This is now one of the most normal and common developments when choosing a partner and is no longer a taboo topic that is best kept behind the scenes.

Anyone who dates online and has had success with it also stands by it. Numerous success stories and reports are evidence of this.

The development of dating sites

Online dating is extremely popular and is used by young and old. According to a Focus survey from March 2014, 29% of Germans (i.e. almost one in three) are now looking for a partner on the Internet . The triumph of smartphones and mobile internet has once again given impetus to this positive development.

Another achievement of dating sites is that marginalized groups in particular can now find each other better. In the past, for example, an 80-year-old woman with preferences for very young men had almost no chance of actually getting to know one.

The door has also opened for people with special characteristics or special inclinations, for example who live in rural areas with low population density, to find a promising partner.

In addition to the established contact portals and dating agencies that we encounter almost every day in the media, there are now highly specialized sites and contact points for those looking for a partner on the Internet (e.g. for meat-free vegans, particularly tall/short people, people with disabilities , for seniors , for academics , for Rich people , for heavy metal fans , for farmers and nature lovers, animal lovers , and many more…).

There are now almost no unoccupied niches in the big, colorful dating jungle. In this way, everyone can identify with their individual characteristics and preferences and find a group of like-minded people.

It is estimated that by 2025, around 33% of all couples will have met or fallen in love through the Internet. This development clearly shows that the taboo topic “we met on the internet” no longer exists. The prejudice that “if you can’t find anyone else, look on the Internet” is now long outdated. Educated people with a high school diploma or university degree in particular are increasingly using dating portals.

Through singles and partner exchanges, the Internet connects people who are looking for like-minded people, love, friendship and the person for life.

The importance of first impressions

Despite this diversity and the different focuses and philosophies of the dating sites, there remains a common denominator: the first impression often decides whether you find a person interesting, take a closer look at them and make contact .

Even though we may not always want to admit it to ourselves, we often base that famous first impression on the profile picture or photos.

This may sound superficial, but - simply put - it is due to the fact that our brain reacts faster and more strongly to visual stimuli in the form of images than to text.

Due to this fact and the fact that we are potentially competing with more than 11 million other profiles, you should pay particular attention to your profile picture and the photos you choose. They very often decide whether a profile visitor even reads our profile text or simply moves on quickly to the next profile. After all, this is just a mouse click away.

The decision as to whether someone will stick with our profile or not is often decided in a few seconds or fractions of a second. Use this time!

The optimal presentation of the profile picture

To maximize your chances of being contacted, pay particular attention to these things:

• Good to excellent quality of the profile picture (no blurry party pictures or blurry selfies)
• There should be no other people in the picture
• Upload multiple photos of yourself
• The pictures should ideally show you in different situations (e.g. smiling, serious, thoughtful…)
• Ask a friend to take several photos of you
• Show naturalness in the photos
• Focus on your individual strengths and advantages and emphasize them

The profile picture in focus

The market offers a large number of general contact exchanges that put the profile picture in the focus of member profiles. What particularly stands out here is the dating platform Bildkontakte.de , where the name says it all: no picture, no profile.

Founded in 2000, Bildkontakte has now established itself as one of the top 5 German dating sites and is particularly popular with young people up to the age of 35.

Image contacts impresses with:

• Use of numerous functions even with free membership
• No pictureless profiles
• Over 2 million members
• Numerous awards
• In 2013, chosen as the best website in the dating sector (by websitedesjahrs.de)
• High proportion of young users
• Very balanced gender ratio

In addition to ourselves ( see test report ), Bildkontakte was also evaluated by various other comparison portals.
If you are curious about this platform, you can find another detailed report about the dating site here , provided by Dating Exchange Insider.