Anatomy of a winning dating profile

Ever wondered what makes for a good online dating profile? Dating Direct share the top 10 qualities that attract men on a dating website

Getting a date online isn't just a matter of signing up and sitting back. If you want to meet a man you really like, you have to stand out from the highly competitive crowd.

Here are the top 10 qualities that the best women's profiles have in common, and tips on making them work for you.

1. A seductive photo

It goes without saying that a successful dating profile must include a photo. If there's no photo, men won't stop to wonder why ('is she on the run from a stalker?'). They'll just scroll on by.

Eye contact matters online just as much as it would across a crowded room. So when you're posting a profile, choose a photo where you're looking at the camera.

Oh, and smile! A Page 3 pout may work for some, but you stand a better chance of attracting a man if you look happy and friendly. Get the smile right, and you could seduce him before he's even read a word.

2. A catchy nickname

What's in a name? Quite a lot, when it comes to wrapping a man round your finger through cyberspace. Your username is his first clue to what you're like, and to the kind of relationship you're looking for.

If you settle for something simple and explanatory ('Sarah82,' for example), you won't put anyone off. But if you really want to lure men to your profile, take the time to come up with something that'll make them smile.

Use words that zoom in on your most appealing features. 'Brunette,' 'smile' and 'pins' seem to appear a lot in popular women's usernames, often in combination with their year of birth (eg 'Brunette_79'). 'Cheeks' are another physical feature to crop up a lot in usernames, though we're not sure whether the cheeks in question are on the face.

Avoid usernames that are too long, or which make you sound desperate. Names like 'Love_me_please' positively glow with neediness.

3. Just enough confidence

In the dating game, confidence sells - but you need to get the balance right. Too much confidence turns into arrogance, and too little makes you sound like a whinger.

Whingers start their dating profiles with statements like 'I'm no good at this kind of thing.' Women (and men) who put themselves down don't sound attractively self-effacing, they sound needy and insecure.

Arrogance is just as bad. 'People tell me I have an amazing body and they can't understand why I'm single' won't bring the men running to your door. It'll probably make them laugh, but not in a good way.

The most successful profile-writers mention what they have to offer, but they do it in a friendly, light-hearted way. 'I cook a mean paella and I'll always try to make you laugh' is the kind of thing that hits the spot.

4. Honesty

Dating profiles that are full of fibs about the writer's age, height, weight, job or anything else may be very successful - but only up to the point where she meets a guy for a date. Then what? The bloke realises he's been lied to, and hoofs it out the door.

For your profile to be truly successful, it should give you best chance of finding the right man. And if he's the right man, he'll be seduced by the real you, not the you-with-five-years-knocked-off.