I’m just back from the iDate Conference where our sister site Subscription Site Insider announced our first Dating & Matchmaking Site Benchmark Report (get the free executive summary here). Today I’m thinking about small changes that dating sites, and really any subscription site, can make to produce big results:
- Using Real Photos Matters : Our partner in the benchmark report, Mark Brooks of Courtland Brooks, pointed out how much he hates something that many of us who have surveyed dating site home pages notice time and again — the use of stock photos. Most of us, even subsconciously, know when we are looking at Models and when we are looking at real people. Real people convey authenticity and trust in your site. Even if you’re not running a dating site, but another subscriptions site, think about your home page and the photos. And if you need photos of real people, why not get your subscribers involved and ask them to provide them. (Our benchmark report has more on dating site home page trends and what is most effective.)
- Localize and Optimize Testimonials: Mark had another brilliant suggestion that could be utilized by any subscription site. How about serving up testimonials according to IP address and other indicators when someone arrives at your site? The whole point of a testimonial is for the reader to relate to the person who wrote it. Since dating is usually local, those visiting dating sites are influenced when they see others in their geographic areas have had success. Could you do something similar with testimonials on your subscription site?
