Dating sites online were unheard off in the past years. It was sometime in 1990 that dating sites online began to sprout in the web. Probably due to the busy lifestyles most singles lead, dating sites online slowly gained popularity. Several years later, dating sites online not only gained popularity but also unquestionable niche in the internet business circle.  Along with the growth of internet use, the popularity of dating sites online grew too.
The traditional methods of meeting people through bars, clubs, parties, blind dates and even classified ads have been effectively replaced by dating sites online. Today, dating online sites are a $300 million industry in the US alone and rapidly expanding worldwide. Despite the explosive growth of dating sites online, it is still not easy to give up traditional approach to dating in favor of the Internet. The best dating strategy is to incorporate both online and offline strategies. The following are some advantages online dating has over the offline approach:
Dating sites online saves you time.  If you wanted to meet ten people in a traditional manner it would mean ten real life dates. In the online dating site, you could see pictures of all ten prospects, read their p
rofiles, and even communicate before you ever agree to a date.
Dating sites online allows you to make a specialized search.  In the online dating site you can specify the criteria you want and even choose a site that specializes in people that meet exactly what you seek in a mate. There are sites devoted to religions, politics, divorcees, pet lovers, and even vegetarians.
Dating sites online enable you to expand your reach.  Thanks to the global nature of the Internet you can easily meet someone in another city, another state, or even another country.
Dating sites online lets you date at your convenience. The Internet is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week.  
Dating sites online helps you save money.  The membership fee is but small compared to what you pay for a night of drinks or dinner.

A popularity survey conducted among Americans and Canadians to find out the best online dating services providers.   This is based on the Alexa ranking for each of the sites. The Top 3 American online dating agencies are the following: Match (#57), American Singles (# 179) and Date (# 658). High ranking though does not prove quality of the  dating sites online though. The runners-up for the best online dating services are : MatchMaker, FriendFinder, DatingDirect, DreamMates and eHarmony.