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Apparently what looks good to us doesn't apply to women, or online women are just too damn shy/have impossible standards (which is why they're there in the first place).
(what looks good...) That's only natural to an extent, different sex different thinking, add-to-that they have a different experience on dating sites (too much choice, overwhelmed with interest). Experiences alter behaviour/thoughts. It's no wonder things don't make sense. However it is a closed system and whilst people are individuals, roughly similar experiences will corral them into groupings of similar thinking and probably behaviours.
The fact that even with plenty of choice, there's plenty of girls, even the same ones around for ages, tends to imply they're as bad at making good decisions as (guys) are at writing good profiles. So all you really need to figure out is what girls are doing/showing interest over and then fit yourself into that paradigm. As opposed to brute-forcing yourself into shapes that vaguely work sometimes.