[Sabr1na]

Hi EVERYONE!

I am interested in building a dating website but have no clue where to start. How much would it cost to build a website etc.? Also, if anyone is interested in doing this for me let me know.

Thanks

[rogercbryan]

You can buy a template on eBay for under $100

[paul2145r]

You will need to invest a large sum of money for advertising and for hosting. Dating sites are "in" right now, so it's not a bad idea.

If you are not sure where to start, try finding someone that has engaged in a similar venture, and see how much they are wanting to help you get it started. First and foremost, you will need a designer/coder to get things going. If he or she is also keen on marketing and advertising, then that's a big plus!

[veikoh]

I recently launced my dating website at Free community dating online service with local photo personals so it cost me only $10 investment and one week work. I did it to prove that social networking sites will not need any VC capital.
I somebody has been willing to buy me Social Engine license, it would have been $300 so for $500 investment you can launch it.
The idea become as I was evaluating social networking and dating software platforms and had to install those for evaluation purposes anyway. Professional dating software products will cost more so I have AbleDate and SkaDate in evaluation.
My site currently needs around £100 investment to get mobile MMS integration done so people can send their pictures directly from mobile phone. This would solve current problem that not much persons are currently willing to publish their pictures.

[meaghannf]

I would look for a niche where you can provide some sort of service or style of site that is different from all of the other dating sites out there. What sort of dating site did you have in mind? I'd be interested to hear more about your idea.

[clp11479]

dating sites seem very saturated right now.

i had an idea for a dating site that would connect people based on what sports teams they like, i googled it and it's already done, lol.

unless you have a new twist or a certain niche you are looking at exploiting it will be hard to be successful with a regular dating site.

[zharlene]

Depends on how much you're willing to spend! The more the merrier, as it not only takes a great software but a whole lot of Search Engine Optimization and networking to get as many people as possible.

I'm also looking in on starting a similar venture. But it's focussed on a particular group of people and it will be region-specific. Will be doing this with a business partner in a few weeks. I've spent the past year working on my Search Engine Optimization skills, trying out different web hosts, and I've also spent some time dealing with domains.

If you have time and a budget, you should spend some time researching on the different aspects of having a dating website. This will save you time and money in the long run.

[JoshSauberman]

Hi Sabrina,

I'm really excited to have come across your post! I started a business called Local Dating Events which I did not design to be used primarily as a "dating" site. LDE does have personals, but I don't charge for them.

The focus of my business and my site is to be a platform for providing (as the name suggests) dating events for singles.

Currently, I am looking for licensees to run events in other parts of the country. I was going to charge a pretty modest amount of money ($5k) for those interested in using the platform, but because I haven't gone about finding those people yet, I hesitate to charge that much. The first couple people I bring on to work with me will get a huge break because they're going to be part of my "trial & error" period. The website is good, but there are a few bugs to work out and I think that deserves a discount in itself.

I would love to know what part of the country you live in and more about your interest in running a dating site. As a licensee of LDE, you would have a lot of Admin control over your particular site locale.

There's a lot of money to be made too: Simple example - say you hold a speed dating event with 15 men and 15 women. You charge $30 each. That's $900 in your pocket. There are expenses, but they're minimal.

Private message me if you want my contact info. I'd love to chat!

[wake58]

Hey Sabrina,

Two great points that may contradict each other were made earlier. The online dating services scene seems saturated, and online dating is very popular right now.

I have just created a site like facebook, or a dating site, but specifically for wakeboarders. The project cost me about 1k to launch, but it was really easy. I can not post my link, becuase I am new, but please contact me so that we can talk about this idea, because I really like it and I think that I can help you!

I'll send you my link so that you are able to take a look, it would be great for you to have a similar platform.