The task of choosing the best dating site to join can seem daunting at first with the thousands of possibilities out there. Yet making that choice is perhaps easier than you think. By following these few simple steps you can quickly narrow down your choices.

1. Your location

This is the first and most important step. Many users make the mistake of picking the first dating site that appears in the search results.

For example if you live in the UK then choose a site that specialises in UK dating, if you live in the USA choose an American based dating service.

Unless you are specifically interested in meeting foreign singles be wary of international dating websites - you may find many of their "2 million singles" are from Eastern Europe and such countries - this may not be what you are looking for.

2. What are you looking for

With so many dating sites you have a great deal of choice. Think about what you are looking for and join a site under the appropriate category, for example you may want to join a Christian dating site if you are a Christian. If you are just looking for a bit of fun you may consider joining an Adult Dating website.

If you are just looking for general dating then most sites will be suitable.

3. Cost

How much are you willing to pay? Most dating sites offer a free signup and then charge around $20 to upgrade to their extra services which are often essential for using the site.

Nowadays paying for a dating service is not essential - there are many sites offering completely free dating. Remember however you often get what you pay for and these free services may bombard you with adverts to pay for their site.

Before you join any site always check carefully how much they are charging and what features you will be able to use. Sites may try to hide the true costs before you join but you can usually find them by checking the Frequently Asked Questions page.

4. Features

Many dating sites offering a huge range of features such as chatrooms, dating advice, compatibility tests, video dating, text dating and so on. Though these can be tempting at first considering what features you want to use. There is no point paying for a site that offers video dating if you do not own a webcam.

Ease of use is another factor when looking for a dating site. Most people want a clean, simple layout and an easy to use search system. Though that high tech flash site may look impressive loading and using it is often another thing.

And Finally...

Do not worry about making the wrong choice. In fact there is no right or wrong choice. There is nothing to stop you joining 2, 3, 5 or even 10 different dating sites to see what you like. Often different sites attract different types of users so it is well worth trying out a few and finding which site gives you a better response rate. Remember of course to upload a picture as studies have shown non picture pictures have a signifcantly reduced chance of contact.