When it comes to online dating, your profile is everything. This is your first impression and will be the reason someone decides to contact you or not. Creating an excellent profile for yourself that stands out from the rest will be the first step in getting the responses you’re looking for and meeting that perfect guy.

Be Thorough and Interesting

Leaving your profile completely blank could make it seem like you aren’t committed to the dating process and it might make you seem lazy or uninterested. In many cases, men browsing your profile will want to know a little bit about you before sending you a message. Fill out as much as you can in your profile and be sure to be honest with your answers. Fibbing on certain aspects of your life could be awkward in the future if you ever decide to take your online relationship further.

When you’re creating your profile, try to stay away from the standard answers you see in everyone else’s profiles. It might be a good idea to read through a few of the other women’s profiles on that site and look for any pattern of average answers. Creating a profile that catches the eye and that isn’t boring shows you’re a fun and interesting person before you even start chatting with anyone.

Don’t Highlight All Your Flaws

Some of the more modest types like to get all their flaws out in the open so they don’t feel like they’re going to disappoint later. While it’s great to be honest on your profile, you don’t have to lay out everything in your life that you don’t like about yourself. A profile full of self-deprecating comments will show that you have no self confidence, and as a first impression, it may scare away some potential suitors.

Nobody’s perfect, but when creating your profile, try to be flattering to yourself while still sticking to the truth. In most cases, many of the flaws you think you have aren’t going to be flaws to someone who’s interested in you so just let him decide for himself.

Use At Least One Picture

Even if you don’t think you’re a bombshell, post a picture anyways. So many people out there, men and women alike, will not contact a profile that has no picture, and may not even respond to messages from one either. Using no photo at all may make it seem like you have something to hide or could make people think the worst. A clear, well lit photo shows you’re comfortable with who you are and a lot of men will appreciate that.

It’s good to be clear about what you want and don’t want to weed out those who wouldn’t be a good match for you, but it’s best to try not to sound too snooty or demanding. Keeping your profile light and friendly will make you sound approachable and will generally give you the largest number of replies.

Whether you’ve been in the online dating game for awhile or you’re just starting out, there are a few common mistakes you might be making that can easily be avoided. If you aren’t getting as many messages as you’d like or you aren’t getting the responses you’re looking for, now may be the time to change your technique and try a new approach.

You Don’t Have a Picture Posted

If you’ve got a great profile set up with no picture and you’re wondering why you aren’t getting many messages, this could be the reason. A lot of people out there don’t want to message someone they can’t visualize. This doesn’t mean they’re shallow or appearance focused, but having no picture could make them think the worst. Even if you don’t like photos of yourself, having any picture on your profile is better than having nothing at all.

You Aren’t Being Completely Honest

You don’t have to lay out your entire life story on your profile or make a checklist of all your flaws and secrets, but being honest about who you are will make things easier for you if you’re looking for a real connection. Trying to explain later why you no longer have the job you said you did, or what happened to your amazing car you mentioned, could be awkward and will make you look dishonest and untrustworthy.

Misleading or incredibly old photos can also be a bad idea when it comes time to meet your online interest. You may have developed a deep enough connection for them to look past the fact that you’re no longer 20 with a full head of hair, but in most cases, it makes a bad first impression to arrive to a date looking nothing like they expected.

You’re Too Hard on Yourself

Nobody expects you to be perfect, but filling your profile up with a list of your flaws, shortcomings, and bad habits might scare people away. You do want to be honest, but you don’t need to slander yourself. If there’s something you really think people should know, by all means put it up there, but for the most part you should make your profile as flattering and friendly as possible. They’ll have time to learn about your quirks once they get to know you, so give yourself the opportunity to get to that point.

It’s good to be clear about you want and be as straightforward as you see fit, but you want to remember that the person you’re talking to doesn’t know you yet so building a little bit of trust first will result in a better connection. Sounding jealous or desperate to someone you’ve just met is a good way to get yourself on their block list, so online or offline, keep things light with the people you’ve just met and take the chance to learn more about each other.

Some people who use online dating sites aren’t always looking for a long-term relationship. If you want to find the man or woman of your dreams, you’ll need to know how to steer clear of these people and look for like minded online daters to create a true connection with.

Sign Up On the Right Site

Some sites cater specifically to people looking for a more casual type of connection while others are focus more on matching up individuals for marriage. Larger, more popular sites may be set up to offer both and will allow you to indicate what you’re looking for. Pay sites will usually have people who are more committed to looking for a serious relationship and the fact that they’re willing to pay membership fees verifies that.

Choose Someone Who Is Compatible

If you really want to find someone to spend time with and develop a connection, it can be tempting to lower the bar and give just anyone a chance. While it’s great to keep your options open, it’s important to make sure you aren’t wasting your time on someone you wouldn’t be compatible with. Review their profile before starting up a conversation and make sure they haven’t indicated anything that you don’t think you would be okay with in the future.

Focus On Getting To Know Each Other

You don’t have to rush into meeting each other right away. To develop a deeper connection, it may be smart to really get to know each other online with e-mail and instant messaging and move on to phone conversations. Taking it slow and meeting once you’re both ready will most likely make both of you feel more comfortable and at ease with each other which will make your first date go that much more smoothly.

Stay Positive and Optimistic

Not every online encounter you have is going to go the way your like and you won’t always hit it off with everyone you talk to. Accepting rejection and moving on from it will allow you to be pleasant and optimistic when meeting someone new rather than acting bitter and cynical and possibly scaring them off. This applies as well to any offline experience you’ve had that may have left you bitter. Putting your friendliest foot forward is sure to give you better reactions and responses from possible love interests.