'Age, Attractiveness and Availability'

A woman’s online dating profile description is far less important than the photos when it comes to attracting men. As men are very visual creatures your profile will likely not be read in its entirety, especially now that speed dating has become the norm.

Men will avoid profiles that go on about previous relationships and those that contain the slightest hint of emotional baggage. They will want you to have moved on; not still be in the process of doing so.

Being honest in as few words as possible is by far the best policy with regards to your personal circumstances, but there is no need to write your life story. A brief introduction of your basic personality and interests is all that is required for your profile to be noticed.

The only really important things a man will note are attractiveness, age and availability. It’s a sad fact for women to address, but men are more urgent in their needs and become impatient in their search when it comes to relationships and, if your profile doesn’t fulfil these three basic points, they will move onto the next profile, however engaging your description and however impressive your achievements.

It is said that: ‘A picture speaks a thousand words’ and when it comes to online dating this saying has never been more appropriate.

Your main photo must be recent and should be a head and shoulders shot of you looking your best. It should be bright and clear and you should be in the foreground - not a little speck in the distance. The background should be uncluttered. It may seem obvious, but your profile photos should be of you - and not you with your dog, your cat, your grand kid or long-lost cousins.

Men will only really think your profile is worth reading if you have posted good photos, at least one of which should be a full-length shot.

To impress you must not be wearing shades or voluminous hats that hide your features. Low cleavage shots are not advisable because you will get the inevitable messages from men who are only interested in your boobs.

Never, ever lie about your age and be realistic about the age of the potential partners you want to contact. Men will thus get a realistic representation of you and will know what to expect if you eventually meet.

An overly-wordy description is unnecessary, but in order to attract interest, it should contain a few highlights that make your profile stand out from the crowd and give you the best possible chance of attracting the type of man you’re looking for. If you have a fun-loving, bubbly personality then say so, but you don’t have to go on and on about how you were the life and soul of the party every single day of your holiday to Ibiza.

Men who are looking for a genuine relationship will be just as discerning as their female counterparts, so if your profile is well thought out and put together and has a selection of alluring photos, you have a good chance of attracting the right type of man. The genuine men will be able to find the genuine women, but be wary as there are a vast amount of people on dating sites who are definitely the type you would want to avoid. It's a case of ‘sifting the wheat from the chaff’, but don’t despair there are plenty of success stories. Never give up if you are determined to find the right man for you.

There are many dating sites some of which cost nothing to join or chat to potential matches Plenty of fish is a popular free online dating site. In the site's own words it ‘Is larger than all other free dating sites combined.’ So there is a great chance to find someone suitable wherever you happen to live. You'll soon find there are 'plenty of fish in the sea,' and you could be very happy with your catch. The site's preliminary questionnaire is very detailed to ensure you attract the members that are the best matches.

Online dating offers the single person more scope in forging new relationships than was ever thought possible. The stigma that was once associated with lonely hearts' columns in the personal ads, has long since disappeared. However, you will still need to take the time to put some preparation into your profile. It's easy to post a description that will impress, but you need to ensure your photos are up to date and show you looking your best.