Nice design. I've recently built a more general dating site and I see in your site many of the issues that I've been dealing with.
The chicken and egg problem is the biggest. Until you reach "critical mass", whatever that is (1k, 10k, 100k), it is difficult to open the kimono and give potential new users a peek. That can definitely drive away traffic.
OTOH, you need more for people to go on. You need some sort of hook. In my case, I took multiple screenshots from key areas of the site and assembled a tour.
You guys sound pretty seasoned, so I'm sure this isn't news to you--just an idea. There are many ideas around conversion and most of them just take time.
The other issue that was a big surprise for me is the sheer number of scammers out there. I'm spending more time building features into the backend for identifying scammers than anything else these days (still early days yet). Aside from the IP geolocation technique, email addresses posted in their profile text, and the unique form of bad English grammar from the West Coast of Africa, I'd be curious to know how you identify them. The target demographic of your site is bound to attract a disproportionate number. (BTW, for the uninitiated, geolocation only works for the amateurs logging in from a cybercafe in Lagos--most of them know how to use proxies and emerge in places like Michigan or Colorado. Typical bad grammar: "I will like to know more about you".)
Comments
Nice design. I've recently built a more general dating site and I see in your site many of the issues that I've been dealing with.
The chicken and egg problem is the biggest. Until you reach "critical mass", whatever that is (1k, 10k, 100k), it is difficult to open the kimono and give potential new users a peek. That can definitely drive away traffic.
OTOH, you need more for people to go on. You need some sort of hook. In my case, I took multiple screenshots from key areas of the site and assembled a tour.
You guys sound pretty seasoned, so I'm sure this isn't news to you--just an idea. There are many ideas around conversion and most of them just take time.
The other issue that was a big surprise for me is the sheer number of scammers out there. I'm spending more time building features into the backend for identifying scammers than anything else these days (still early days yet). Aside from the IP geolocation technique, email addresses posted in their profile text, and the unique form of bad English grammar from the West Coast of Africa, I'd be curious to know how you identify them. The target demographic of your site is bound to attract a disproportionate number. (BTW, for the uninitiated, geolocation only works for the amateurs logging in from a cybercafe in Lagos--most of them know how to use proxies and emerge in places like Michigan or Colorado. Typical bad grammar: "I will like to know more about you".)