7 Google Chrome Extensions I CAN’T Blog Without

The cool thing about blogging is that it has taken me into foreign terrain I never knew existed. I’m taking coding classes now, I’m using my photography skills in multiple different ways than before, and I’m learning how to run a profitable business online. It’s a mission to a creative vision with an endless amount of things to learn along the way. It can be vastly overwhelming, but I couldn’t do it without some help.

As a blogger, I’m often faced with countless daily decisions and tasks to help me grow my brand as well as increase my efficiency and save time.

I honestly don’t know how I could function without my toolbar of Chrome extensions. At this moment, I have 21 extensions on my Chrome toolbar. But there are a few I find myself using multiple times a day. Curious to know what some of my favorites are? Well, here you go. You’re welcome.  

1. Alexa Toolbar Extension

Yes, Alexa has a rather dismal reputation, but nevertheless, I’ve found this metric to be a pretty decent general indicator of website traffic. When you’re a blogger, you’re often solicited by companies, brands, and other bloggers who want you to guest post or collaborate. It’s not possible to work with everyone! Time is money.

A quick glance at a site using this extension can quickly help me size up a website to decide whether it’s worth the time to work together. Of course, there are other factors too I look at but, if a site has a significantly worse rank than my own or better yet, a super good ranking on Alexa, it tells me something.

2. Grammarly

I don’t know how I functioned before Grammarly. You can only depend on your own eyes to proof-read so much. I can read over the same post five times and still miss something. Grammarly is the editor by my side that helps me stay a little more polished. And the best thing: it’s free.

3. Hootsuite

I can’t possibly run my social media campaign without my Hootsuite extension. Every time I come across an article I like, I share or schedule it for the future with this. I can’t live without that little owl on my toolbar!

4. Bitly

As a blogger, you find you need to shorten your links for various reasons. Bitly is so simple and so helpful.

5. Similar Web – Web Ranking & Insights

There are a ton of different metrics and extensions, and I have downloaded all of the highest-ranking ones. But I’ve found myself routinely using the Similar Web extension the most. Not only does it give me a snapshot of a website’s analytics, but it’s quite in-depth in terms of engagement. You can also grab a quick glance at top referrals and other helpful analytics. Similar Web’s statistics are slightly different than Google Analytics, but nonetheless, I find using Similar Web with Alexa to be a really strong indicator of a site or potential collaborator’s engagement, growth, and performance.

6. Feedly

I use Feedly to keep up with other blogs, in addition to sites like Bloglovin. The Feedly extension makes it super easy to organize them all too for future reference.

7. One Password

I cannot possibly run a site and keep track of all the passwords I have without a password organizer. From hosting to emails to countless social media and analytics accounts, it’s impossible. I swear, One Password is my desert island necessity. Yes, you have to pay for it. But, you won’t ever have to tear your hair out again looking for a password you created long ago. It has saved me countless amounts of energy and time and I can’t praise this tool enough.