Unpopular opinion but online dating is just how you meet someone, how you get to know them, it's where you go from there that is important. I've had 2 very successful relationships that started out online. One of which we only decided to end because we had different goals in life but the relationship was still fantastic, we made time to meet up in person, they moved here so we could be together. For a while we even lived together. Online you have access to almost everyone and anyone, in person there's only a select few people around you. There are people online that are more compatible than anyone near you so you can find a better relationship if you can overcome all the obstacles present that scare people from this. You have a much more emotional bond, than anything else as its easier to tell them everything and become very comfortable, then you will know them well enough that when you meet up in person, things will go amazingly.