Everyone you know is meeting their match online, so why are you still single? Sam Yagan, founder and CEO of OKCupid.com, reveals how a few simple tweaks to your profile could help you snag Mr. (or Mrs.) Right!

Avoid "Fun & Interesting"
"If you’re fun and interesting, don’t say you’re fun and interesting, tell us something funny. Be interesting! I call that, 'show, don’t tell.' If you use the words "fun & interesting" in your profile, you get 18 percent fewer messages from guys than girls who don't use that. Be unique; tell them about something that is meaningful to you, something that you're passionate about."

Put highlights front and center.
"It's important to get things you want people to see in your profile as high as possible because one third of guys don't even scroll down before they decide whether or not to send you a message."

Get the conversation going.
"The most important thing in an online dating profile is to help the guy start a conversation with you, and the more touch points you give them, the better those first emails are going to be, and the better those conversations are going to flow out of that. And remember, nothing can happen if that guy doesn’t first send you that message."

Be specific.
"Everybody likes to travel, so tell me where you like to travel. Why do you like to travel? Do you like to travel in groups? By yourself? With one other person? Give me something that I can say, 'Yeah, me too!' and send that message."

Remember to spell check!
"I know it's kind of boring but if you don’t take the time and investment in your profile to actually bother to capitalize your sentences or use spell check then no one is going to take the time to invest in writing you a message."

Choosing Photos
"For ladies, your picture is the most important thing. Imagine yourself at a bar; there has to be that physical attraction for a guy to make that first move. But the good news is that online you have all this text to go with it; that’s why being detailed and specific are so important because you’ve got to make it as easy as possible for them to send that first message.

"Now for guys, it's a little easier. The profile picture is not that important. Women are very forgiving of an average looking guy if there is something interesting about their profile."

City vs. Country
"One thing that we discovered is that if you live in a city, your profile needs to focus on yourself. Just talk about what you do, what you want, what you like. But if you live in a suburb or the rural areas, you should talk about what you’re looking for in a potential date. The person reading your profile wants to know if they’re a good fit for you, not just how great you are.

"Similarly, we found that if you live in a suburban area you should keep your profile very positive. Only talk about the things you like and your passions and your interests. But people living in cities are a little more jaded, so you live in a big city, you’ve got to talk about your pet peeves, talk about the things you don’t like. People in cities find that just as informative as what you do like."

Related Links

OKCupid.com