Have you Googled “online dating apps” recently? If so, you’ll find no lack of information, especially by “reviewers” who want to tell you about the 10, 20, or so best dating apps and why you will want to check them out. When you do look at a few of them, you might think that, if you can just get the right development team, you could create one yourself and get in on the action.

Time for a bit of a reality check. First of all, the competition is pretty fierce. There are well over 1500 dating apps or websites in this $3 billion-dollar business, and getting your “slice” may not be easy. Still, you want to give it a try. If so, here are the steps for how to create a dating app that has a chance for success.

Decide Upon Your Target Audience

Apps like Match.com have the whole “world” as their audience – anyone of any stripe looking for a match of any kind. Its success comes from it being one of the early guys in this ring. Over many years, it has added new audiences and does a pretty good job of adding features to accommodate each new target market.

The new kids on the block today specialize. Why? Because consumers want to specialize as they search for products or services. So, there are now dating apps that cater to farmers, seniors, elite professionals, and even the LGBTQ community, catering to those who are interested in lesbian, gay, or poly dating and anything in between. 

Research Your Target Audience

Don’t cut corners here. If you don’t understand the priorities, values, beliefs, principles, wants, and needs of your audience, you don’t stand a chance. And all of those have to be translated into who and why they date, what those dates look like, and the types of relationships they are looking for. You can find lots of research studies on all groups of people. But a far better way is to hang out where they do online and get the information straight from them – even down to the music they like. You might want to incorporate some music into your app – that would be a bit unique. And anything you can do to differentiate yourself from the competition is a good thing.

Craft Your Specification Document

If you’ve never created an app before, a specification document simply lays out exactly what you want your app to do. This can get a bit messy and you may want to get some help from others. One of the best ideas will be to get a sampling of your target audience and pick their brains for what they see as most valuable in a dating app. Ease of use and simplicity will certainly come up, and there will be other features too – messaging, video chatting, live streaming, and probably a sophisticated matching algorithm that narrows matches well. And, of course, geolocation. It’s all about UX and UI – smooth, engaging, simple, clear, and a bit of fun.

All of these things will be in your MVP (minimum viable product) which you will want to be developed first. And it might include such other things as how you will monetize the app. 

And Now…the Development

Here’s where getting the right developer (or development team) can make or break your efforts. This can also break your pocketbook if you are not careful. If you’re asking how much does it cost to develop a dating app, the answer is not available until you sit down with developers and get their bids. Set a workable budget, seek developers with the right experience, and negotiate the terms. You may need investors. Be sure to have them on board before you get down to the details. 

You want an MVP first, because you can do a lot with it:

• You can send it to influencers within this sector and ask for a review (this may cost you too). If they like what they see, they may be willing to feature your app in their blog or on their social media accounts. They can also make suggestions.
• You can reach out to members of your target audience and have them “test” your app. Again, you may have to pay – it’s called a research study – and you will get the best results by offering cash. There are even firms that will conduct such a study for you if it’s within your budget. And you will be able to get a full report which will drive what your final app product will be.

Marketing the App

Here’s another potential expense. You need a full marketing plan, and if you don’t have an in-house team, you would be well-advised to contract this out to the pros. Marketing an app in this competitive environment is no cakewalk – you need to get users on board as quickly as possible and keep them with you. 

Monetizing Your App

You’re not in this for fun and games. You are looking to make money. What’s your plan? Actually, you have several options, and all are good ones:

• You can have in-app advertising. This will be for all those who use your free version (yes, you will have versions). If you get the right advertisers, and they get a good response from your app, they will stay. And their success can be used to “prove” that other advertisers should come on board.
• You will have free and premium versions. With each level, your subscribers will get more features – no ads, more swipes, unlimited swipes, boosted profile, more refined geolocation, and such.

Creating a dating app from the bottom up is a hefty project, and it can be expensive. The keys to success will be for you to follow a step-by-step process, consult pros when you lack expertise, and be prepared to continually evaluate and modify/add as things evolve. No app is ever carved in stone upon its release.