All you have to do is take a look at the sites we’ve reviewed here and you’ll quickly see that there are more options to connect with other singles than you could possibly exercise. You might think that this will make your search for the perfect person easier – and it will. That doesn’t take away from the fact that it might still take weeks, months or years to connect with the right person. Knowing what you’re looking for will help. The other thing you’re going to want to know is what makes each site different. You’ll need to determine how many dating memberships you’re willing to hold. Keep the following in mind when you’re surfing for romance.

Some dating sites are better in certain areas than others. Match.com is probably the most visited dating site in the United States, but in Canada, that title falls to Lavalife. There are also sites out there that have pockets of concentrated people. A college student in Toronto, for example, started CasualKiss.com. Although the member numbers for that site continue to grow, a large portion of them are from Ontario. This may be great if you live in the area, but it may not speak to your needs as well if you live in Texas. Figuring out how popular a given site is for your area is pretty simple. All you need to do is sign up for a free membership and run a search for people local to you. Some sites won’t tell you when members were last online, but most will. This is important so that you have an idea of how many users are still active. Knowing how many people you might be able to connect with in your area is the first step to choosing which memberships to consider.

"Each dating site is unique and will have different people on it that aren’t on any other."

Dating sites often have certain target interest in mind. Eharmony.com has branded itself as a site for mature people looking for long-term relationships SexyAds.com focuses on providing intimate encounters. AshleyMadison.com is for married people looking for affairs and there are a whole bunch of sites in between that may or may not suit what it is you’re looking for. Ask yourself what it is you hope to get out of your online dating experience. Are you looking for friends? Activity partners? Chat buddies? Short-term relationships? Long-term? If you have one interest in mind, it will help you narrow your focus. A lot of sites try to cater to all areas of interest when it comes to a target demographic and are able to do so very well. But knowing what else is out there should enable you to make an informed decision on which memberships to pick up.

More sites focus on areas of interest than on a particular demographic. To this end, CupidsReviews.com has been organized by niches like Asian, black, bbw, Christian, gay, Jewish, senior, sex and more. Sites continue to pop up in an attempt to service a particular market. Because these niches are so splintered, most of these sites will have fewer members than some of the larger, non-niche specific sites. Most sites will let you join and search by criteria such as race, religion, weight and sexual preference, but niche sites look to cut through the hassle and deliver a certain market that’s clear of the clutter found on other sites. If you have a specific area of interest in mind, I suggest you try the general dating sites as well as those that are built around your focus. No two sites are alike and your membership dollars might be better spent on one than another.

You location, your interests and your finances will determine how many memberships you decide to pick up. Each dating site is unique and will have different people on it that aren’t on any other. Just remember that you only have so much time in a day and go slow at first. Dating is a lifestyle – not a life!