Member Avatar for cldo

Hi there,

I am quite new to web design and I would like to know where to start from to build a dating site from scratch without using any of the software or applications that builds it for you. Thanks

hope to hear your suggestions

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Several replies here rightly point to learning both design and engineering. As highlighted a learning path, warned about scale and data, and called out security — useful starting points. Because the thread dates back to 2011–2012, add a product-first and trust-first mindset: modern expectations (mobile-first UX, privacy and moderation, scalable media handling) matter as much as raw coding skills.

Start with the product: pick a narrow audience and a single, testable value proposition. Map 3–5 core flows (example: account creation, profile, discovery, messaging, report/block) and turn those into low-fidelity wireframes and simple clickable prototypes. Write a short list of acceptance criteria and measureable success metrics for each flow. Build an MVP that proves the matching and messaging loops before adding extras; every extra feature multiplies design, moderation and operational cost.

Operational and engineering priorities should follow the product. Separate media storage from application servers, use caching for read-heavy operations, and keep application nodes stateless so they can scale. Rely on established libraries or managed services for auth, email and payments to reduce risk. Instrument and log every flow, run realistic load tests early, profile slow queries, and add indexes or caches where needed. Include rate limiting, upload validation, and a human-in-the-loop moderation queue to handle abuse.

Trust and compliance are not optional. Draft privacy and terms documents, collect minimal PII, implement age checks, define retention/deletion rules, and plan payment compliance if monetizing. Launch in small, measured batches (closed alpha → invite beta → broader rollout), monitor core metrics (retention, match rate, engagement), and iterate. When issues appear, reproduce with logs, identify the slow path, and apply the smallest safe fix (index, cache, throttle) before larger rewrites. This product-focused, staged approach prevents wasted effort and keeps safety under control.

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Member Avatar for Member #905211

Learn the following (and probably in this order):

Design:
HTML
CSS
JavaScript - learn how to use a Library like jQuery as well
Photo editing software (GIMP, PhotoShop, Paint.Net)

Development (you could lump JavaScript in this section as well):
C# or PHP (at least one server side language)
SQL (learn to use stored procedures)

And that should keep you busy for the next 5 years.

Member Avatar for sufyan2011

Thats great, since this is very nobel work ;) let me explain you: before doing any work always see what previous work has been done in that field and how??? First you should browse others sites, list down the features that they have in their websites and you want to implement in your site. After that you should go for technology selection and beleive me dating site is not as easy to develop because these kind of site experience large amount of traffic and require deep knowledge of database design to handle large amount of data and efficient transactions. Should be graphic enrich to attract dufferes, should have windows services to keep posting the useless and attractive emails. May be have GSM implemention to send free sms.....blah blah....

Member Avatar for jguiss

Hi, i did my first dating website with an affiliate program.
Here i teach how :

Hope it'll help you :)

Member Avatar for Djmann1013

I would use ASP.NET (C#) for the security (SQL Injection, all the other bad things). HTML & CSS for the design, also a professional photo software (GIMP, PhotoShop, Paint.Net). Also a webhosting service (GoDaddy, HostGator).

Member Avatar for sheikhali449

I suggest you to use software for html coding otherwise it would be brain cracking task for you

Member Avatar for James_Smith

As sufyan2011 says first you have to go through existed websites. Do complete analysis of these sites. Then think about what you want to add new features in it which is not provided in those existed sites. And finally make is user and seo friendly for popularity.

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