Online dating can be daunting, whether you’ve done it off and on for years or it’s the first time you’re giving Tinder or OkCupid a try. It’s not for the faint of heart – so take courage in the fact that you are putting yourself out there to find love.

Unfortunately, no matter how much of a seasoned “pro” you think you might be, too many people make the same mistakes when it comes to online dating, and you might be one of them.

To optimize your profile and attract more matches to you requires some effort and savvy. Ask for help when you need it, and try to avoid these five online dating mistakes:

eHarmony's new CEO Grant Langston

Goodbye Neil Clark Warren, hello Grant Langston. eHarmony is bidding farewell to its founder and CEO following 81-year-old Warren’s return to retirement.

Yes, return. After creating the company in 2000, Warren went on Retirement #1 in 2007. eHarmony struggled in his absence, finding it hard to remain fresh and relevant in the increasingly competitive online dating market.

Just four years later, in a move his friends called “crazy,” Warren came out of retirement at 78 to become eHarmony’s chief executive once again. His second tenure in the role saw employee layoffs, significant changes in management, closures of international operations, and the launch of a bundle of new products and services. When all was said and done, the floundering website had found its way back to relevance.

Imagine never having to deal with aggressive texts or unwanted photos ever again. Ghostbot hopes to make online dating easier by handling bad dates so you don't have to.

As you may have guessed from the name, Ghostbot is a bot that ghosts on your behalf. 'Ghosting' – for those who aren't up on 21^st century dating lingo – is the act of ending a relationship by disappearing. Instead of initiating a formal breakup, someone who ghosts will simply stop responding to your messages. You'll never see or hear from them again (good luck getting closure).

Unsurprisingly, ghosting is considered bad form. It's rude, immature, and cowardly. But anyone who reads the dating horror stories that are passed around the Web can see that, sometimes, when a date is delusional or dangerous enough, ghosting can seem like the only viable option.

Swiping could leave you with the love of your life, or crippled confidence. A new survey from the University of North Texas found that singles who used Tinder are more likely to have lower self-esteem and feel unhappy about their looks than people who don’t use dating apps.

“Tinder users reported having lower levels of satisfaction with their faces and bodies and having lower levels of self-worth than the men and women who did not use Tinder,” said Jessica Strübel, PhD, who presented the research at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.

We hear a lot of daters complain about how tough it is to find a boyfriend or girlfriend. Because there are people who casually date over apps, behave badly with each other, or mislead their dates, it’s discouraging to think about finding a serious relationship. Many of us paint men and women in broad brushstrokes – good or bad.

But this is simply not accurate.

Instead of stereotyping someone else as the "bad guy" or falling into old patterns when a date doesn’t work out, or getting discouraged that there are “no good ones out there,” change your perspective. There are ways to tell if a guy is boyfriend material before you get your heart broken:

If there’s one complaint I hear from single women more than any other, it’s “why do I keep meeting the wrong guys?”

Before you completely give up on dating and delete all those dating apps, it’s time to take a step back and do some self-examination. This isn’t meant to be critical, it’s meant to help you take a real look at how your life has been unfolding so far, so that you can make some changes for the better.

I know a lot of women who are very successful in their careers but have had no luck in dating. They are attracted to the unavailable types, whether it’s a married man, a man who is distant or aloof, or a man who can’t seem to get his financial act together enough to be in a real relationship. None of these scenarios is good, but too many women fall back on the wrong relationship with the wrong men because they are afraid of being alone, or worse – never finding someone at all.