Best Dating Sites for Finding a Serious Relationship in 2021

After a year of social distancing and isolation, millions of singles worldwide have decided to make 2021 the year they find a meaningful relationship with someone special. 

The challenge is that, given how important your love life is to your happiness, you want to make sure you're using the best dating site in the world!

With so many options to choose from, the Best10 Dating Guide team works diligently to provide independent, authentic reviews to help you make the best choices.

Let's run through what you should look for in relationship dating and the red flags that a potential platform isn't right for you.

What Should I Look for in the Best Free Online Dating Apps?

The first thing to do is analyse what you are looking for from a matchmaking or online dating membership. 

You could be a premium member of the best free online dating app ever, and yet if the theme or niche or the site doesn't align with your romantic aspirations, it isn't going to be your key to a happily ever after!

Here are a few factors to consider:

• Are you ready to settle down, and what values and qualities do you bring to a relationship?
  
• Do you want to meet people of a specific age or in a particular location?
• Can you keep your options open, or are you only interested in full-blown love?
• What demographics do you fall into, and would an exclusive dating site be the best option to help you meet like-minded folks?

As an illustration, the Best10 team analyses hundreds of the best free online dating apps every week to arrive at our shortlist of the crème de la crème. 

Some of those sites might be designed for casual dates or online flirting, primarily used by younger singles or men and women - and they're not going to be much use to you if you're looking for marriage, kids and long-term romance.

Likewise, relationship dating sites themselves can vary significantly in the value they offer! You might want to connect with Christian singles, other single parents or divorcees, or be focused on your career and prefer a professional dating service.

It's well worth taking your time to work out what you want to get out of your online dating experience and what sort of matchmaking service is the best dating site in the world for you before shelling out on a subscription or spending time creating a perfect profile.

How Can I Improve My Chances of Finding a Real Relationship Online?

The concept that the best dating sites in the world are focused on casual sex or dodgy webcams simply isn't true. There are so many fantastic quality platforms explicitly designed to help single men and women find legitimate dates with real people.

It's always wise to think carefully about the dating site you want to join and check out independent reviews to avoid signing up for a niche platform that doesn't cater to relationship dating.

Our reviewers might recommend the best free online dating app - but if it's designed for kink lovers, it's not for you!

Here are a few other tips to make sure your dating adventures go to plan:

• TAKE YOUR TIME! We know it's overwhelming when you match with someone who seems like your perfect date. You chat, connect, and feel like you've met your soulmate. However, it's always wise to take things one step at a time and feel out the situation before stacking all of your eggs in one basket.

• Be authentic. Whether that's an unfiltered profile photo (a lot of dating sites ban photoshop to stamp out catfishing), being realistic about what you want from a relationship, or honesty about how you're likely to want to spend the majority of your time, real people want to meet real people. Romanticising or exaggerating can be a death knell for a fledgeling romance, so keep honesty a top priority.

• Don't close your inbox to anybody who doesn't instantly seem like a match made in heaven. How many times have we asked a couple how they met, and they say they were friends for years, had no idea there was anything to it, and then one day *BAM* everything changed? Be open to new prospects, and take a bit of time to chat and reply to messages - because you never know when an opportunity comes knowing, and you're not paying attention!

I'd also say to always be kind in any scenario. Online dating can be nerve-wracking and tense, and people who suffer from anxiety or low self-esteem can find it extremely hard to work up the confidence to send out likes or direct messages, with all the risk of being rebuffed.

You can also do wonders for your reputation by simply being a stand-up guy or girl, so if you end up on a first date and it's 100% obvious it isn't going any further, laugh it out, enjoy the time, and take it as a golden opportunity to make a new friend (who might even have some very eligible besties you'll do well to meet!).

How Can Reviews of the Best Dating Site in the World Help Me Find Love?

Here's the kicker - not all reviews are authentic. We come across glowing endorsements all the time, which bear no reality to our experience on a dating site.

The critical thing with reviews is to make sure it's an actual review by a real person and not a paid-for advert masquerading as a genuine endorsement.

Check what the site is all about, if it's independent, who writes the reviews, and whether it is an information source you are confident relying on to make your online dating decisions.

There are multiple factors to consider before registering on any of the best free online dating apps, such as:

• Security settings and whether it is packed with spammers.
• The volume of users in your local area.
• What features are free, and which you have to pay for.
• Costs of subscribing or upgrading your membership.
• How easy it is to chat and send messages.
• The target audience or niche dating demographic it's aimed at.

If you know what sort of dating app you're dealing with and feel that it resonates with your relationship aspirations from the outset, you will be in a much better position to get cracking in your profile and have expectations of success with a little time and effort!

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