Google Chrome is my browser of choice and I’m sure many of you have the same preference. Actually, scrap that, I know the majority of you use Chrome.

A quick search on Stat Counter shows that Google Chrome controls a whopping 61.55% of the browser market and a HUGE 69.64% when we filter those results to Desktop only…

…and those percentages are rising month on month.

If you aren’t already a Google Chrome user, I urge you to switch over ASAP. The internet browser standard bearer is:

• Super-fast
• Blocks (dodgy) ads and pop-ups
• Integrates Google accounts
• Fully mobile integrated
• Incredibly secure (with tons of security features)
• The most user-friendly browser (in my opinion)

Those reasons are easily enough for anybody to switch to Chrome, but just in case they aren’t, I’ve held back my joker until now…

…Google Chrome has a feature called Chrome Extensions and they are an absolute MUST-HAVE for marketers, entrepreneurs and anybody serious about digital.

BTW: Did you know that people who use Chrome or Firefox show more use of initiative (and have a greater chance of success) because they’re willing to test alternatives to the pre-installed options of Safari (Mac) and Internet Explorer (Windows)? Think about it!

These chrome extensions will save you time, seamlessly compliment your browsing experience and they’re all FREE, effectively replacing tools that you’d normally have to pay a bomb for.

In this post, I’ve rounded up my must-have Chrome Extensions for anybody who’s new to the browser, is paying over-the-odds for tools or is hoping to level-up.

Trust me, these extensions will completely transform your internet experience.

Must-Have Chrome Extensions

 #1: Zest

Let’s kick this thing off with one of my all-time fav’s…

…Zest is a content stream that you absolutely must be plugged into.

I consider this chrome extension the crème-de-la-crème of the content world. It regularly provides users with fresh, insightful content from some of the best in the business.

The articles published on the Zest stream are packed full of actionable tactics and strategies, inspiration and get-over-the-hump guides.

I check my Zest stream at least 3 or 4 times a day for hot new tactics and can honestly say that it has made a massive difference to my performance.

If you’re involved in content marketing (even just a teeny-tiny bit) Zest is an incredible source of highly-qualified traffic and exposure. It’s used by some of the world’s top marketers, entrepreneurs and brands and is chock-a-block with takeaways.

It’s effortlessly simple to use too, install the extension and the Zest content stream will replace your homepage.

If you’re keen to distribute your content to Zest’s super-engaged audience, simply hit the yellow Chrome extension button (at the top right of your browser).

BTW: You can share any piece of content, it doesn’t have to be your own!

Before we move onto the next chrome extension, I need to share a word of advice with any content marketers out there…

…don’t be downhearted if Zest reject your content.

My Zest acceptance rate currently stands at 91%. This might sound like a bad thing, but it actually makes the platform all the sweeter…

…the high-volume of rejections shows that they only want the BEST. When you’re accepted, you’re immediately placed alongside other great articles. And when there are a ton of great articles in one place, it attracts a great audience.

So, what are you waiting for? Get Zest!

#2: Loom

As far as screen and video recording software goes, Loom is the pinnacle (especially compared to other FREE alternatives).

This chrome extension is incredibly easy to use and offers a range of video recording options that you’ll recognise (from other content creators) immediately.

Video is booming and it will continue to grow, Wyzowl reports that 79% of consumers prefer to watch a video than read about a product and that 91% of consumers have watched an explainer video.

If you have a software product, use Loom to display the inner workings, dashboard and your seriously cool statistics. Other content creators might use Loom for explainer videos, tutorials and lessons.

This Chrome Extension offers limitless options for marketers, entrepreneurs and businesses, in an age where video has never been more important.

Loom separates itself from the competition with its friendly interface and its speed and ease of use.

When it’s installed, click on the Loom icon on the top right of your Chrome browser and you’ll be instantly presented with your preferred recording method:

• Screen + Cam: This option records you in the bottom left hand corner, alongside a choice of your browser window, or your entire screen (with or without audio).

• Screen only: A choice of your browser or entire screen (with or without audio)
• Cam Only: Just you (with or without audio)

When the video is finished, you’ll be taken to a page where you can copy and paste the video (via an embedded link), or share it on Slack.

Loom is an incredibly useful and versatile video recording software. Go get it.

#3: Checkbot

 If you own a website, this Chrome extension is going to help you supercharge your load speed, rank higher in Google and improve the security of your site…

…and because it can do all that, it’s probably going to save you some money too.

Checkbot is an ‘SEO, Web Speed & Security Tester’, and it’s definitely one of my favourite tools.

Yes, I’m sure many of you already use similar tools for all the individual tasks that Checkbot performs, but you probably don’t have all the answer in the same place and you definitely can’t get the results as fast.

Checkbot creates a report for your website, broken down into 3 sections (listed above). Each report lists a ton of metrics with a % score beside it. Anything less than 100% (displayed by a green tick) is a point that you should try to improve upon.

For instance, if my site is particularly slow, I can use Checkbot to find out what on-site factors are slowing it down.

As with all the Extensions on this list, it’s effortlessly simple to use. Hit the Checkbot icon (when you’re on a website that you’d like to test) and it will open a new tab. Hit ‘Enter’ and after Checkbot has generated the report, it’ll appear on the screen.

If you own or manage a website, save yourself time and money by running checks with Checkbot. Find it here!

#4: Alexa Traffic Rank

Alexa’s traffic rank score is one of the key metrics I use when analysing a website, so it’s only natural for me to have it as an extension.

For anybody out there who’s new to Alexa’s traffic rank, it’s a website ranking tool that lists every site (ever created), in an order from 1 (being the best), all the way up to a ridiculously high number.

As your website grows and develops an audience, your rank will climb.

Ever since we created the Einstein Marketer site, I’ve performed a monthly check on our Alexa Ranking. You should use this tool to do the same. Run an Alexa check on your main competitors and create a target figure.

BTW: Be aware that your rank will not suddenly drop overnight. It takes time and consistency to reach the top!

Alexa rank is not just a great tool for checking your own website, it’s also a great way of analysing everybody else. I regularly use this tool to check out the websites of anybody who gets in touch with us (which is a lot!), including clients, competitors and guest authors.

Discover where your website ranks with this awesome chrome extension. Go get it!

#5: Awesome Screenshot

 Just like Loom, Awesome Screenshot is an amazing chrome extension for creating engaging visual content.

(As you may you have noticed) I love using screenshots to visually explain an idea, clearly demonstrate a key step or showcase the importance of a digital tool…

…Awesome Screenshot allows me to do all those things in the click of a few buttons.

This chrome extension is a FREEMIUM product, meaning that there’s a ton of useful FREE tools and a few add-ons that can be unlocked if you pay.

I use the FREE version because it contains everything I need, including:

• Highlighter
• Arrow
• Text
• Shapes
• Blurring tool
• Crop

These tools are all that’s needed to visually explain a screenshot. Check out a few of my other posts, in The Complete Guide to Creating Winning Facebook Ads (from start to finish), to see how I use them.

Awesome Screenshot will make a massive difference to your content, install it here.

#6: Grammarly

One of the most installed Google Chrome Extensions, Grammarly is a great tool for anybody who writes (in other words, everybody!).

Grammarly is a versatile grammar and spell checker, that comes with suggestions for improving the readability of text. It automatically plugs into Chrome, making it the perfect way to avoid mistakes in emails, social media and online content.

This extension is a freemium product too, with a wide range of add-ons in their premium packages.

I use the FREE version because it has all I need, including grammar, spelling and punctuation error checks (typos happen to the best of us!).

I’d recommend this tool to everybody, no matter where you are on the writing-work-load spectrum. Go ahead and get it and you’ll never publish a mistake again.

#7: Turbo Ad Blocker

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Turbo Ad Blocker is back up and running!

Ever heard the saying ‘all is fair in love and war’?

When you shift that expression into the world of digital advertising, that includes spying on the competition…

…and that’s exactly why I love the chrome extension Turbo Ad Finder.

This amazing tool completely transforms your Facebook newsfeed, so it only shows adverts. It filters out posts from friends, family and connections, giving you the opportunity to snoop on your competition.

If you’re serious about advertising, you probably track competitors pages and look at their latest deals, this often leads to you being retargeted with ads.

When you flick the Turbo Ad Finder on, all you’ll see are these ads in your newsfeed. This presents an enormous opportunity to learn from your competitors successes and failures.

By analysing the ads with the most engagement, you can see first-hand exactly what’s working in your industry and create something similar!

We’ve used Turbo Ad Finder to hit the ground running on a number of different Facebook Campaigns, and now you can too.

Like your competitors pages and visit their websites and you’re guaranteed to be retargeted with ads. Get Turbo Ad Finder to turn your newsfeed into an amazing marketing resource.

#8: SimilarWeb

SimilarWeb call themselves ‘…the measure of the digital world’ and to be fair, they aren’t too far away with that bold claim.

The SimilarWeb chrome extension acts like a lite version of their website-based traffic analysis tool.

SimilarWeb’s analysis measures the traffic scores and sources of more than 80 million websites worldwide and offers the information to everyone.

Their Google Chrome Extension will work on (almost) any website, highlighting the percentage of visitors from the biggest traffic sources, including:

• Direct
• Referrals
• Search
• Social
• Mail
• Display

A traffic analysis can be run by simply clicking on the SimilarWeb chrome extension icon, while browsing the web.

The results, when used on a direct competitor, can help marketers discover new traffic sources and increase their opportunities online.

SimilarWeb is an absolute must for anybody serious about digital marketing. If you want to find out how you can analyse and steal traffic from your competitors’ websites, check out our SimilarWeb guide.

#9: VidIQ

If video is your thing and more specifically, YouTube, VidIQ’s Google Chrome extension is for you.

When plugged into your browser this extension will automatically reveal a ton of super-valuable data on YouTube videos and the search screen.

YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world (after Google) as well as being the world’s 2^nd most visited website.

When you create and publish a video that ranks well on YouTube, you can generate thousands if not millions of views, achieving tons of exposure for yourself or your brand.

VidIQ is one of the only tools (especially for FREE) that reveals the video tags and SEO score of every video on YouTube.

And not just that, VidIQ will show you how many views a video is achieving an hour, its social engagement rate, like ratio, in addition to a video optimisation checklist and a ton of other stats.

A video marketer can use this information to replicate the YouTube SEO tactics of the videos at the top of the rankings and boost the performance of their own posts on YouTube.

#10: BigSpy

If the other competitor analysis Chrome extensions weren’t enough for you, this one will definitely fill your needs.

I’ve only discovered BigSpy (and the BigSpy Chrome Extension) recently, and it is already fast becoming one of my favourite marketing tools.

As an extension BigSpy ‘Collects’ ads that have targeted you from a variety of different platforms, these include Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Yahoo.

All you have to do is browse the internet normally and BigSpy will collect (the majority of) the ads that appear on your screen.

It’s interesting to see all the ads that have targeted you (and their performance) but that’s not where the true value of BigSpy comes into its own.

On their website (which you can redirect to via their Google Chrome extension) you can search for ads around any keyword search (these are the ads that are collected by everyone who uses their chrome extension!).

All you have to do is search for an industry, product or service and you’ll see the ads on your chosen platform! This is amazing for ad ideas and competitor research.

After you’ve performed your search, you can then narrow down your results even further with the filter options that include:

• Marketing Objectives
• CTA Types
• Countries
• Creatives
• Categories

And you can even filter results to reveal the keyword by position on the ad (e.g. in the headline, copy or meta).

BigSpy is a must-have Google chrome extension for any marketers serious about digital advertising.

#11: One Click Extensions Manager

Last but not least on our list, we’ve got One Click Extensions Manager.

Before we get into the uses and advantages of this chrome extension, I need to make something clear…

…it’s only worth installing this tool if you’ve taken on board everything else in the article and installed the 7 other extensions!

One Click Extension Manager organises your chrome extension buttons, so you don’t have a cluttered browser and you’re never hunting for the correct icon.

This awesome tool organises all your extensions into a dropdown menu. All you have to do to turn an extension on is click the appropriate icon.

If you’ve got a ton of different chrome extensions this really is a must-have, Get it here.

Must-Have Chrome Extensions for Marketers: Conclusion

Within this list I’ve detailed 11 must have chrome extensions, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any more worth installing. On the Chrome Browser I’m using now (my work desktop) I’ve got 18 different extensions and I use every last one of them…

…and on my other computers, I’ve got a variety of others.

The 8 in this article have made the cut on every device, but there are plenty more that will revolutionise the way you use your browser.

If there’s anything you think I’ve missed, leave a comment…

Every marketer must be versatile and always stay ahead of the times, by using Google Chrome Extensions, you can do exactly that.

If you enjoyed this article, check out:

• How to Use Instagram Hashtags (and How Not To!)
• How to Get More Traffic: A Back-to-Basics Approach
• A Complete Guide to Facebook Ad Creatives and Copy (Including Free Ad Copy Template!)

• About the Author...

Josh Barney

Director of Content at Einstein Marketer

https://medium.com/@einsteinmktr

josh@einsteinmarketer.com

Josh is an award winning content marketer and the Director of Content at Einstein Marketer, previously working as a content manager, freelance copywriter and marketer. He writes, edits, proofs and strategises content for Einstein Marketer's agency and their clients, sharing the most successful tactics and strategies with his lovely audience. He hates writing in the third person, follow him on the social links (above) so he can get back to writing as himself.