UK Internet Dating

There are literally hundreds of UK internet dating sites catering for the UK market. Many of them will claim to have thousands of members in your area…and to have the best features of any internet dating site. You will find that some sites have quite lengthy registration processes – it can take around 15 minutes just to fill in the questionnaire part of an online registration, let alone the free text sections that you will find on a number of sites. We've listed some of the other internet dating sites you might consider here and carried out a full review of each one for you. But there are a number of general things to think about before you get started... Here are just some of the things to consider when you are looking for an internet dating site.

Do you like chatting online? If so, a number of dating sites have integrated chat facilities and/or chat rooms. Some of the good things about online chat are that you can get to know people very quickly, you don’t have to give out your own messenger details and you don’t have to download messenger services that are not compatible with your own. So, for example, if you only use AIM and he or she only uses MSN messenger you will still be able to get to know each other online.

Online chat on internet dating sites can get a little raunchy at time. If you are looking for a serious relationship, you may find it irritating to find men or women chatting to you just because they see you online. If you are under 30 and female, because there is generally a shortage of younger women on dating sites, you may very well be inundated with people trying to chat to you and find it difficult to have any kind of a conversation.

Many internet dating sites that offer online chat don’t make it clear whether or not the person you are trying to contact has to pay to reply to you. So, you might feel rejected for no good reason!

Do you really want to meet people who live close to you? In that case you should look for an internet dating site that has some kind of postcode based search facility. Sites with a postcode search allow you to use your home postcode (which is not visible to other members) to find other people who live within a given number of miles of you. Another common way of finding local people is to ask for areas of the country where you would like to meet someone. But, of course, if you live on the border of any region you will find that is a less than satisfactory solution.

At the moment there are no internet dating sites that take into account how long it will take you to drive to somewhere or go by public transport. So, even a postcode search can be misleading if, for instance, you live one side of London and your intended is just the other side. It’s a rough estimate at best.

Is it important that other people using the site are mostly like you? If you think you might find it irritating to be contacted by someone who reads the Daily Mail when you are a Guardian reader then you may find that a smaller ‘niche’ internet dating site will suit you better. Equally, if you are vegetarian, have a strong religious belief or only want to meet people from the same ethnic background as yourself, there are online dating sites that will suit you. We’ve compared a few of the leading UK internet dating sites and highlighted some of the options on this site. We suggest you pick one or two sites and register online now. They will all allow you to change your profile once you have registered, so don’t worry too much about making mistakes or not knowing exactly what to put.