Design

I notice that Passion.com got a much needed homepage facelift recently (bottom left). The bottom right image is what the Passion.com homepage has looked like probably for the last 4 years or more (it has been a while). The white to pink gradient background of the new look in much better and it doesn't make the homepage feel as "busy" ascetic wise or as blocky. I also noticed that they have removed any mention of FriendFinder. I guess this is to make the service have a more distinct image and reputation. I think the new look with the softer appearance will work for them and attract more females, which is the hardest thing for most casual dating sites to do.

For more information on this dating site, read our review of Passion.com.

Lavalife has recently updated the design of their dating site. Gone is the old HTML framed based site (I was shocked they kept it around for so long) and in, is a new more modern look using current technologies like AJAX. This means that web pages do not have to load as much and most tools are now updated right on the screen. For example you can open the Lavalife Instant messenger on the bottom communication toolbar without reloading the page and it will stay open as you surf around the site. The email message indicators for each distinct community (Dating, Relationship and Intimate) are also now located on the bottom toolbar next to the IM window which makes it easier to see when and where your new messages are.

The profile detail view has been redesigned with a new tab interface that keeps all the information organized on one page. The profile thumbnail photos are also larger, not only in this view but in the search results as well. The only thing I didn't really care for was the text profile information in the search results. Instead of being organized in specific locations, the information is displayed one after the other in a paragraph. This makes it difficult to scan the search results quickly and compare the information of each profile since the profile information may not appear exactly in the same spot for each search result.

The one other thing I notice was that Lavalife Speed Dates is currently offline as the Lavalife developers continue to update that part of the website.

For more about this dating service, read our review of Lavalife.

Most dating websites have several landing pages for visitors (these are web pages visitors are meant to enter the dating site with). Some are completely dependent on the actual URL while others may take into consideration other criteria like what country the visitor may be coming from. I notice the other day that OkCupid has revamped their homepage. Gone are the featured profiles as seen in the right top photo. It looks like OkCupid decided to simplify things as seen in the bottom left snapshot. On the left column OkCupid has the member signup area along with 4 quotes from leading publications like Time and the New York Post. The main section of the page is reserved as a place for new members to signup. There is a hand drawn image of a woman saying "Welcome to OkCupid! We just need a few things to get started." and she is pointing at the profile questions which ask the Gender, Orientation and your Relationship Status with a Next button which continues the sign up process.

I wonder if this new homepage is converting better for them than the old one. Does straight to the point quotes like "The Google of online dating" and the start of the create a profile form get more people to sign up for the dating service than seeing a bunch of members profiles in a gallery format? It seems like a lot of sites now days have moved away from the show what members we have approach. Most now usually show a stock photo of a couple having fun along with the initial questions for the profile.

To find out more about this dating site, read our OkCupid review.

Match.com launched April 21, 1995, this was 15 years ago exactly last Wednesday. They were owned by Electric Classifieds and a membership cost $9.95 per month. In a little over a year they had 100,000 registrations. In 1997 CUC International Inc. acquires Match.com and by the next year a monthly membership rose to $12.95. By 1999 memberships was $16.95 a month and Match.com purchased one of their competitors, the One & Only Network.

In 2000 Match.com had 156,945 paying subscribers and by 2001 they had partnered with AOL and MSN. A membership price at this point was $24.95 a month. In 2002 Match.com was then available in 40 countries thanks to in part by acquiring the international dating site Soulmates.com. In 2003 Match.com entered the cell phone dating market by launching MatchMobile. 2005 was a big year for Match.com when they launched the MindFindBind program. This program was created in part by the famous TV talk show host and relationship expert Dr. Phil. During this year Chemistry.com was launched as well.

In 2009 Match.com sold their European operations to Meetic and buys People Media from American Capital Ltd.. People Media run several niche dating services with the most popular ones being for Seniors, Black Americans and Christians. During this year Match.com also launches Dating Applications on the iPhone, Palm Pre and Palm Pixi cell phones.

In 2010 Match.com releases Dating Apps for the Blackberry and Android mobile phones. Match.com also acquires Singlesnet.com. At this point a monthly membership at Match.com costs $34.99.

The top picture on the right is what Match.com looked like in 2000 (thanks to the WayBackMachine). The bottom right photo is a snapshot of what Match.com looked like in 2009.

For a more detailed timeline visit Fox Business or read our own recorded history of Match.com. To find more information on this dating site, read out review of Match.com.

ChristianCafe.com gave their homepage a bit of a facelift recently. The cafe table with a cup of coffee which was the original homepage image since the beginning has been changed and now includes a happy couple drinking some coffee. Showing a good looking couple with a background that has richer colors enhances the appeal of the dating site and makes the different parts of the page stand out.

ChristianCafe is also promoting more predominantly that they are Christian owned. This is a good selling feature since most other niche Christian dating sites cannot say the same thing. The Free Trial stands out more as well since it is in a larger font and on a colored button. They also mention in bold lettering that communication is included in the Free Trial which is a good idea since most experienced online daters now realize a lot of dating sites "free trials" just mean you can create a profile and search for members, you cannot communicate with them.

To find out more about this dating site, read our review of ChristianCafe.com.

I have been poking around the FriendFinder Network of dating sites lately and have notice that they have modernized the user interface a bit. The improved site design doesn't look as busy now, which should attract more daters. FriendFinder has always been in the forefront of keeping their sites fresh and up to date with new features. They were one of the first dating sites to offer built in members blogs and interest groups. The one problem with a feature rich site is they tend to have complex user interfaces which can turn less tech savvy members off (just take a look at Facebook now).

I also notice that they have removed the advertising again from their dating sites home page and from the members pages as well. This improves the looks of the sites 10 fold and I applaud FriendFinder for doing this. A site without ads looks so much more professional.

While not directly related to dating, I notice this in my searches: "FriendFinder.com Games". It's a flash games site that has over 8000 free games to play. It looks like the FriendFinder Network plan to make money from the Google Ads on the site.

If you want to find out some more about a FriendFinder Network dating site, you can check out our review of FriendFinder.

Related Story: What is With Advertising on FriendFinder?