Niche Online Dating Sites Seek Bigger Piece of the Pie
by Joe Tracy, Publisher of Online Dating Magazine

New online dating services finding it hard to compete with the likes of eHarmony, LavaLife, Match.com, and American Singles are trying to grab a piece of the online dating service pie through the creation of niche sites. And in this explosion of new targeted services, it’s hard to find a niche not already being explored. Take, for example, the following online dating services:

Veggiedate
A dating service just for vegetarians.

Compatti
Uses astrology to help determine your matches.

STD Singles
A dating service for people who have a sexually transmitted disease.

Date a Doc
A dating service for doctors to find other doctors.

Secular Singles
A dating service for secular and agnostic believing people.

Dating for Smokers
A dating service only for people who smoke.

Millionaire Match
A dating service for successful people who are worth a lot of money.

Date My Pet
A dating service for pet owners and pet lovers.

Disability Dating
A dating service for people with disabilities.

And the list goes on and on.

There are literally hundreds of niche online dating services that are now popping up each year covering yet a new category. Not only are there several dating sites specifically for every religion imaginable, but there are also dating sites that cater to people who are married. Virtually no subject has been left untapped and this explosion of new sites are causing some bigger sites to rethink their strategies. Many of the bigger online dating services are now allowing people to target their search to find more niche matches. From keyword searches to allowing yourself to only view people in areas you specify (i.e. non-smokers, vegetarians, religion, income levels), bigger services are trying to retain members who are so passionate about a certain belief that they refuse to date anyone who doesn’t share that belief. But these changes aren’t slowing the continued growth of the niche market.

As niche sites continue to grab more members, some of the bigger general online dating services may find a need to strike out in niche areas in order to grow their membership bases. Some may elect to do this by purchasing a series of successful niche dating services while others may open sub-dating areas, targeting specific niches, of their service.

The good news for new dating services is that careful research into niche markets may yield better results than going head to head with the big guns that spend tens of millions of dollars a year on advertising. The explosion of niche sites is showing that there’s still room for growth for online dating services as long as they find the right niche at the right time with the right battle plan.