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My Top 3 |
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So many of the websites I see today are designed for the spontaneous - for those who just want to jump in and take action. They can get answers to their questions later.
But what about the methodicals - those who want their questions answered BEFORE they jump in and take action?
I found two different online dating sites with these two different approaches to getting visitors to interact with and sign up with their sites.
Match.com - Their home page is pure spontaneous - one image (is it just me or does that girl look like she’s 13?) and one action you can take - ”start searching now, it’s easy” - plus one special offer “Guarantee - find someone special in 6 months or we’ll give you 6 months free.” The whole home page is designed for someone in spontaneous mode who just wants to start looking, no questions asked.
Compare that to Plentyoffish.com - Their home page is mostly methodical. New visitors see a list of four points (numbered, which the methodicals loved) answering questions that those methodicals want answered BEFORE they take even one action on your site. (They’re not going to waste their time looking around until they determine it’s worth their while to spend time on this site.) Here’s the text from the home page:
1. We banish anyone who is extremely rude, has anger management issues, uploads fake pictures or is otherwise unfit to date.
2. Unlike traditional Dating sites we don’t put a pay wall between you and everyone you try and contact.
3. Social Dating is all about giving you tools you need to help YOU find someone. Traditional Paid Dating sites care about the exact opposite, raising prices and trying to keep you around longer. If paid dating sites gave you what you wanted they’d go bankrupt.
4. We delete and banish scammers, it’s easy to do. Traditional Paid Dating sites have little interest in deleting fake profiles because they could convince you to pay for the
The only image in the active window is actually an ad for a different dating site. Other than signing in, the only action you can take is almost below the fold where they do actually show you some profiles you can start browsing.
I did notice that when you return to plentyoffish.com, you see a different page that is now designed for the more spontaneous with profiles for you to browse in the active window on the home page.
So - which approach is more effective? That probably depends on if you are more spontaneous or more methodical. When it comes to love, I think Woody Allen put it best….
“To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness. I hope you’re getting this down.”
- Woody Allen,Tag: match.com
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