There are estimated to be well over a thousand dating websites in the UK at present. With the best will in the world we couldn't hope to cover even a tenth of them, but we do hope to be able to test and review some of the best - in value, design and service, making it easier for you to pick one that suits you and your needs from the start. Since it is so easy to start up an online dating service, there are many small services, some short-lived, many claiming to be "free" and designed to harvest data for spammers or worse. However, we choose to review only the best services, with strong privacy policies and which have been around for awhile.

It's not surprising there are so many dating services, as their usage has skyrocketed in recent years as the previous stigma attached with using them has faded away. It is the internet age after all, so people are much more accepting about meeting people via the net. In fact, over 7 million Brits have done so--so this is no niche industry. That figure is some half of the estimated single population, and climbing.

And online dating is expanding despite the global recession, as the 28 March 2009 Economist points out, this sector is one of the few which has seen business pick up. Perhaps people have more time to devote to their private lives, perhaps in tough economic times they seek companionship more, or perhaps they realise that living alone is more expansive than living together. A recent survey by eHarmony revealed that 25% of women said that stress about the economy made them more open to a long-term relationship. Likewise, such sites have noticed a correlation that when the stock market falls significantly in a given day, they also see more people online looking for love.

We at Internet-Dating-Guide.com will continue to add to the number of reviews and the range of sites we test, and you are always welcome to submit your comments and dating website experiences to add to our review.