You have to stay on top of it, reach out to people, start conversations and hope for the best. There are plenty of stalkers, cheaters, and crazies out there, so be careful about who you meet! The site also tries to get you to pay extra to "boost up", so they'll show your profile to more people, but usually those people are 1000-miles away. Also for the last 6-months I was a member, 90% of my matches, views, or suggestions were 500-2100 miles away :( Can't you get someone to look at a map?
Most people on the site are shy, some are damaged, some are nut-jobs with a CC... choose wisely, and good luck.