The process of connecting or matching two people together, principally for the intention of marriage, is generally regarded as matchmaking. On the other hand, an online dating service provides a dating experience to people to connect with and communicate with like-minded individuals over the Internet. Most dating experiences sought online are usually with the purpose of advancing a relationship based on companionship, sex or romance.

Some cultures have professionalised matchmakers whose role is to be an essential advisor in helping to seek the right spouse, through their well-established connections and relations with other families in a particular community.

Some cultures popularly advocate arranged marriages and hence the role of a professional matchmaker is given much prominence and greater priority than individuals seeking spouses for each other. With the acceptance of online matchmaking services and dating systems, the roles of traditional professional matchmakers have dwindled in the past few years. With increasing relationship scientific technologies, online personals and matchmaking services help find compatible partners and the additional options of connecting and authenticating suitable prospects.

Specialised online matchmaking websites differ from a standard dating website and are extremely popular among the South Asian communities. It is estimated that the business of organised matchmaking services in the South Asian region is approximately $ 200 million. Matchmaking services online also referred to as matrimonial websites, offer paid/free registration to users, after which specifics such as pictures, profiles, information, family history etc. and other relevant information can be entered into the site, which then searches appropriate prospects from the database on the site.

Some matchmaking sites also provide additional features such as filter preferences for specific profiles to look for prospects belonging to a specified religion or community.

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