Every job is easier of you have the right tools, no matter what industry you work in. It just so happens that in digital marketing, some of the most useful tools are always within reach — everyone at TCF has a handful of Google Chrome extensions (or in my case, Firefox extensions) they just can't live without.

While software like SEMrush, Ahrefs, Majestic and the like needs to have a place in your marketing stack, there are a bunch of other, smaller tools that can help you with your daily tasks as a digital marketer. These extensions easily integrate into your browser of choice, giving you extra functionality and convenience to help you get things done more efficiently. (And, as a note, some of them also work for other browsers, like Firefox, Safari, or Opera.)

It doesn’t matter if you’re working in SEO, social media marketing, PR or any other aspect of the industry — while you can still accomplish your job without the right tools, you’re going to spend a lot of time spinning your wheels instead of working.

Here are our favorite digital marketing extensions, sorted by category:

Google PageSpeed Insights: Displays any site's PageSpeed score

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: It does exactly what it says on the tin. If you need to see if a site is mobile friendly and fast, there’s no better way. While you could easily accomplish the same thing by inserting a page’s URL into 

A graphic illustration of a laptop with a table chart on the screen with gears floating over the laptop and the letters "SEO" right above the gears.

https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/seo-concept-illustration_6051730.htm#page=2&query=SEO&position=49&from_view=search&track=sph

Google’s PageSpeed Insights site, why go through that extra step when this add-on will do it for you?

"#Marketing Tip: The Page Analytics #Chrome extension is the fastest way to see how fast a web page loads. " - The Content Factory

Serpstat: Instant SEO keyword research and competitive analysis

Platform: Chrome

What It Does: Allows you to see data from Serpstat’s database while you’re still viewing the page — saving you the step of having to go to their site, login and search for the same page.

Why We Like It: Serpstat, if you aren’t familiar, is an SEO tool designed to make keyword research and analysis easier for marketers. While fairly powerful on its own, the Serpstat add-on really takes its usefulness to another level.

By being able to see what keywords a page is ranking for (as well as how many it’s ranking for in total) without ever having to leave the page, you can save time when you’re crunching through competitors’ sites trying to find an edge for your client (or your own website).

"#Marketing Tip: Need super quick #SEO research & competitive analysis? The @Serpstat Chrome extension is unbelievably useful." - The Content Factory

Ahrefs SEO Toolbar: A flexible SEO extension that's a must-have if you're an Ahrefs user

Platform: Chrome, Firefox

Why We Like It: When you're trying to pick out an SEO toolbar for your browser of choice, there are a few obvious features that you can't live without: things like being able to see how many keywords a page ranks for, how many backlinks a particular page has and how much traffic it's pulling in.

The Ahrefs SEO Toolbar does all of that — but it also does a lot more, too. It can count the number of outgoing followed/nofollowed links on a page, check for broken links (and export that info in Chrome) and quickly give you access to all of the the typical Ahrefs metrics (and data) — right in your browser.

And (we're thankful for this one) you can blacklist certain pages so that the plugin won't pull data for them.

"Looking for a solid #SEO toolbar? The @ahrefs SEO Toolbar is a must-have extension that can do way more than just telling you how many keywords a site ranks for." - The Content Factory

Ayima Page Insights: Quickly shows you on-page SEO page insights at a glance

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: Like many of the other add-ons on this list, this one isn’t going to radically alter the way you do your job — it’s just going to make it a little bit easier. You can also hook it up to Google Search Console for even more insights.

"Need to quickly check on-page #SEO? @Ayima Page Insights is a #Chrome extension that alerts you to key issues like alt attributes & title tag length." - The Content Factory

MozBar: Provides instant metrics on any site or SERP

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: It’s MozBar! Earnestly, MozBar is a worthy addition to any SEO’s toolkit, no matter how much of a novice or veteran you are. The ability to see Moz’s metrics at a glance without having to dig into their website is excellent — and once again, it’s an excellent time saver.

We think the MozBar is especially useful for competitive analysis, as it allows you to do recon quickly without getting too in the weeds.

"#Marketing tip: The @Moz MozBar may seem too obvious on a list of Chrome extensions for #SEO, but seriously: it's a classic for a reason." - The Content Factory

SEOquake: An all-in-one SEO toolkit in a browser extension

Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari

Why We Like It: A multi-platform extension created by the folks at SEMrush, SEOquake is a bit like the MozBar on steroids. It allows you to perform SEO audits quickly, examine internal and external links, compare domains against each other and even export everything you’ve found into a file for easy-viewing later.

It’s also super configurable, making it a must have for any digital marketer — even if you only slightly interact with SEO.

"#Marketing Tip: If you only have room for one browser extension, make it SEOquake by @SEMrush. Check on-page #SEO, compare URLs and much more." - The Content Factory

Linkclump: open, copy, or save multiple links at the same time

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: Often, when you’re doing any kind of research — and especially when you’re doing SEO research — you need to analyze a bunch of pages at once. This often involves opening a bunch from the SERPs, which can take a lot of time. By opening a batch of them for you, Linkclump can save you time, effort and maybe a little frustration.

No, it’s not going to revolutionize your day — but this Google Chrome extension will spare you precious minutes.

"#Marketing tip: Working with a million links at once? We hear you. That's why Linkclump by @benblack86 is one of our fave browser extensions." - The Content Factory

SimilarWeb (Firefox version): In-depth traffic and engagement stats for any website — right at your fingertips

Platform: Chrome, Firefox

Why We Like It: Much like the other suite-based add-ons on this list (like SEOquake and the MozBar), the SimilarWeb browser extension essentially lets you do everything you could do in SimilarWeb, but without the extra step of going to their website.

If you’re using SimilarWeb already, it’s a no-brainer.

"#Marketing tip: If you use @SimilarWeb to track your #SEO KPIs, installing the browser extension is a workflow-streamlining no-brainer." - The Content Factory

NoFollow: Outlines nofollow links on webpages

Platform: Chrome, Firefox and Opera

Why We Like It: Yet another Chrome extension that does exactly what it says on the tin. This simple tool lets you easily see which links are being tagged with nofollow on any page, sparing you the effort of right-clicking each link, opening up DevTools and looking at the source code.

If your browser is crawling along due to the burden of too many useful marketing extensions, you can opt for NoFollow Simple, which skips the cosmetic configurations (like changing the color of the link outline) so you get just the functionality you need in a more lightweight package.

"#SEO tip: Need to quickly identify nofollow links? @Igorwave developed a great browser extension for that!" - The Content Factory

Data Miner: Scrape data from websites quickly and save to a spreadsheet

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: While it isn’t the most powerful data mining tool on the market (far from it!), it’s powerful enough for most digital marketers. Scraper can be used to mine websites quickly for all kinds of info, from email addresses to keywords to meta tags. Use it to speed up your content audits by pulling links and their titles from blog or category archives, or generate a data-rich spreadsheet from a given Google SERP — the workload-streamlining possibilities are endless.

While Data Scraper has a bit of a learning curve, it’s worth picking up if you’re the sort of digital marketer who deals with a lot of data. (Which is every sort of digital marketer.)

"#Marketing tip: The Data Scraper extension from @DataMinerIO can speed up your workflows by scraping links, meta tags and other data from any page." - The Content Factory

WhatRuns: Tells you what’s under the hood of a website

Platform: Chrome, Firefox

Why We Like It: WhatRuns is an incredibly useful tool for developers and digital 

marketers alike. Want to know what WordPress plugins a site is using? What about what sort of analytics are recording clicks? Fonts? Themes? WhatRuns can tell you all of that and more.

It won't tell you everything — you can't get a full list of plugins we use on contentfac.com just by pulling WhatRuns info (though if you ask us nicely, we'll let you know!) — but if you see something on a website that you instantly want for yourself, it can help point you in the right direction.

"#Marketing Tip: If you ever want to know what fonts, WordPress plugins, widgets or themes a site uses, download @WhatRuns!" - The Content Factory

Fat Rank: Tells you where your website ranks on Google.

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: There are other, more powerful keyword research tools out there, and there are more extensive tools that allow you to dig deeper than Fat Rank. But sometimes, all you need is a free add-on that can tell you where a certain website ranks on Google. For that, Fat Rank is an excellent choice.

"#SEO Tip: Fat Rank by @FatJoeWho is a free Chrome extension that tells you where a site ranks for a specific keyword. Fast, simple, useful." - The Content Factory

OpenSEO Stats: Get a page's traffic ranking, meta tags, load time and way, way more

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: Much like Fat Rank, sometimes all you’re looking for is the basics — and for that, OpenSEO Stats is a fantastic option. Whereas Fat Rank gives you keyword ranking information, OpenSEO Stats gives you more general information, like how many backlinks a domain has, how many pages it has indexed and more. A great, lightweight SEO Google Chrome extension.

"#SEO Tip: The Open SEO Stats Chrome extension tells you traffic trends, shows meta tags and links, even estimates page load time." - The Content Factory

Majestic Backlink Analyzer: Provides Majestic’s functionality within your browser

Platform: Chrome, Firefox

Why We Like It: Majestic’s Backlink Analyzer lets you easily see the strength of any page’s backlink profile. Additionally, it’ll provide you with various charts and graphs to help you visualize the relative strength or weakness of a particular page’s link profile. An absolute must for any marketer using Majestic already.

"#SEO Tip: If you already use @Majestic for #backlink analytics, download the browser extension for convenient link stats on demand!" - The Content Factory

The Best Google Chrome Add-Ons to Increase Productivity

Colorzilla: Get hex and RGB values from websites using an eyedropper tool

Platform: Chrome, Firefox

A graphic illustration of a person holding a search browsing in front of an oversized computer with gear icons and keys floating around.

https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/content-marketing-abstract-concept-vector-illustration_33216176.htm#page=2&query=SEO%20Tools&position=30&from_view=search&track=sph

Why We Like It: When you’re designing a website, it can be a pain to go into the code to find a precise hex value. Likewise, sometimes the value you’re looking for can’t be found directly in the page markup — sometimes it’s stuck in an image. With Colorzilla, you don’t have to worry about any of that — just click on the eyedropper and you'll get the hexadecimal code (or RGB values) to do with as you please.

"#Marketing Tip: Need to match colors precisely with any web element? Install @ColorZilla and get an eyedropper tool for your browser." - The Content Factory

Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder: Fast, flexible screen capture and annotation

Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera

Why We Like It: Often, when you’re building out social media assets, you’ll want to take quick screenshots or video captures of your own pages (or other pages) to share with your followers. This process can take a while — after all, you have to take the shot, crop it to the part of the screen you want, and then watermark it. Nimbus can handle all of this for you.

GMass: Send customized emails to multiple people at once within Gmail

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: Need to send out email blasts to 40 people — but need to do it quickly and without any costly software or SaaS suites?

GMass can handle it for you. Simply by inserting a few variables into an email, you can use Google Sheets data to help fill out your message. That could mean something a simple as inserting a name to something more complicated — like a rotating, customizable PR pitch.

"#PR Tip: A tool like @GMassForGmail can save you tons of time by sending personalized, small-batch outreach emails right within #Gmail." - The Content Factory

LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Tells you a contact’s LinkedIn information within Gmail.

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: Sometimes, when you’re making contact with a prospective client for the first time, knowing a bit of extra information gets you that extra edge. With this browser extension, that information is at your fingertips — meaning that you never need to go digging for it. (You may see this extension make a cameo if you sign up for our Remote Work Starter Kit training course.)

"Be more informed and charming in your #email. Install the @LinkedIn Sales Navigator Gmail extension and level up your #networking game." - The Content Factory

Page Analytics: Displays a quick Google Analytics view at the top of each page you visit

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: No, it’s not difficult to quickly pull up your Analytics page for a specific page, but it does take time — and when you’re on a call with a client and you need a number right now, those extra seconds can be the difference between looking prepared and looking like a bit of a clown. A must-have for anyone that uses Google Analytics regularly.

"#Marketing tip: Page Analytics is a great @googlechrome extension for when you need data quickly and conveniently." - The Content Factory

Illustration of a laptop with a table chart on the screen with various SEO icons floating around the laptops.

https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/business-analytics-vector_2061998.htm#query=analytics&position=33&from_view=search&track=sph

Calendly: Automates scheduling meetings inside your favorite email and calendar programs

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: If you’re a digital marketer, then at least a good portion of your life is meetings. Setting them up, attending them, scheduling a follow-up, contacting folks who haven’t responded to your invite — you know the drill. Calendly allows you to automate that process a bit — dramatically lowering the amount of time you need to spend sending (and keeping track of) meeting invitations.

Our favorite feature? It’ll let you pick a few times you’re available in Google Calendar so you aren’t forced into that back-and-forth “no this time, no this time…” juggling that often happens when you’re setting up a call.

"To paraphrase Sarte, Hell is setting up conference calls with other people. Unless you use @Calendly. So use Calendly." - The Content Factory

MixMax: Track email opens, downloads and clicks, create templates, schedule meetings and much more

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: MixMax gives you access to a whole range of tools that make your email game a lot stronger. It lets you create email templates to save you time. It lets you send out bulk email without a hassle. It helps you schedule meetings and events. It… well, you get the idea. Essentially, if there’s something an email helper add-on can do, MixMax does it — and it probably does it better than any other comparable extension out there.

While there are many add-ons on this list that we use from time to time, MixMax is one of the only ones that we require everyone at TCF to have installed. Seriously — this is easily one of the best Google Chrome extensions you can use as a digital marketer.

"#Marketing Tip: If you only download one #Gmail extension, make it @MixMax. Track opens/clicks, schedule meetings, create templates and much more." - The Content Factory

Hunter: Sniffs out email addresses on the web.

Platform: Chrome, Firefox

What It Does: Why We Like It: It’s hard to do content marketing if you don’t actually have anyone to contact. While some writers keep their email address front-and-center, others don’t — either because they’re intentionally trying to hide it to prevent spam, or because their site UX simply isn’t that great.

Hunter gets around this, searching a domain for any email address visible anywhere on the site. It then checks those addresses against a database to see if they’re verified or not — letting you know if the email you’re about to send off will actually get in front of a human.

Also, this has nothing to do with the actual extension, but we love Hunter's logo design.

"#Marketing Tip: Need to track down an #email address? @EmailHunter can help with that." - The Content Factory

ObservePoint TagDebugger: Quickly troubleshoot analytics tags, on-click events, variables and more

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: We’ve run into some strange analytics setups in our time. Most of the time, it’s necessary to do a little recon before you trust them: are tags marked correctly? Are they working correctly? Are there any presence issues? TagDebugger is a great little addition to Chrome DevTools, allowing you to troubleshoot tags across multiple platforms, including Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics and Ensighten.

"#Martech Tip: TagDebugger is a handy #Chrome extension from @ObservePoint for quickly troubleshooting your analytics & ad tags." - The Content Factory

Yesware: Tracks your outgoing email, allowing you to see who's clicking your links

Platform: Chrome

What It Does: Why We Like It: A big part of digital marketing is outreach — and even for experts like us, it can be a little frustrating.

Most people aren’t going to respond to you, and if you aren’t using a tracking add-on, you’ll never know if they even saw your email (or clicked on any links in it). While email marketing software can give you all sorts of analytics, sometimes you aren’t trying to run a campaign — you’re just sending one message to one potential client! In those cases, an add-on like Yesware is invaluable.

"#Marketing Tip: Download @Yesware to track your #linkbuilding outreach campaigns and see who's engaging." - The Content Factory

The Best Google Chrome Add-Ons to Improve Your Browsing Experience

Ublock Origin: Blocks advertisements and popups

Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Edge

Why We Like It: Yes, we understand the irony. Telling digital marketers to use an ad-blocking extension seems like a strange move — but hear us out!

First off, a good ad blocker doesn’t just declutter your screen — it also keeps you safe. While it isn’t too common, malware has been transmitted via paid ads in the past. By blocking them entirely, you’re cutting out this threat vector entirely.

Secondly, the reality is that more and more Internet users are installing an ad blocking add-on (ad-off?) of some sort. As a digital marketer, you need to understand what the web looks like to them. This way, when you’re advising your clients (or just tidying up your own site) you can see what will and won’t be visible — and how you can get your products in front of your readers without annoying them.

If you’re concerned about security (and you should be), this is a must-have extension.

"Should #marketers use #adblocker extensions? If you think the answer is always no, you may be surprised." - The Content Factory

LastPass: Store your passwords in an encrypted vault and never forget them again

Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge

Why We Like It: If you’re a digital marketer, then you’re likely signed up to at least a hundred different websites. Provided you’re using security best practices, then you’re using a different password for each site — and it’s probably pretty long.

After signing up for your hundredth digital tool, the temptation is to just use a quick password, or to reuse one password everywhere. After all, how can you be expected to remember everything? Who is going to hack you, anyway?

Here’s the thing, though: if you’re a digital marketer, you’re a prime target. And out of all those tools and sites you’ve signed up for, how many do you think prioritize your security? To be blunt: you can’t trust them. You need to use a different password everywhere.

With LastPass, that isn’t a hassle. You can have it remember all of your passwords, essentially meaning that you just need to remember one universal password. That’s safer — and more convenient.

"#Productivity tip: install @LastPass to manage your passwords. This doubles as a #security tip AND a sanity-saving tip." - The Content Factory

Evernote Web Clipper: Store and annotate the web to access from anywhere

Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Edge

Why We Like It: Evernote is great — and a must-have for anyone who has trouble keeping track of everything they have to accomplish in the day. It’s also excellent when you’re trying to tackle a large project that can’t be completed in just one or two steps.

Evernote’s Web Clipper lets you add anything from the web to your lists — you can clip bits of text off of a page, or you can just save the entire page. You can clip YouTube videos, LinkedIn posts, even Amazon listings. Basically, if it exists on the web, you can add it into your list.

If you’re a digital marketer doing research — or just someone trying to flesh out their Christmas list — this is a great add-on to have.

"#Productivity tip: If you love @Evernote as much as we do, install the Web Clipper browser extension to organize and store your browsing." - The Content Factory

Grammarly: Checks your grammar and spelling

Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge, Safari

What It Does: Why We Like It: As content writers, we’d love to think that we’re infallible. Our knowledge of syntax is legendary. Our skill at piecing together complex sentences? Revered throughout the industry. Our punctuation tips? Actually, a little internally controversial (we have passionate pro- and anti-serial comma factions here at TCF).

But okay, let’s be realistic — we aren’t actually perfect. Mistakes happen. That’s especially true when you’re writing a lot of content each day. Likewise, your eyes can sometimes deceive you you. (Did you catch that? If not, that’s okay — doubling up on words is a common error due to how the brain processes information.)

As any good writer can tell you, you’re only as good as your editor — or in this case, your digital marketing extension masquerading as an editor.

"#Writing tip: install @Grammarly. Even if you think your #grammar is already perfect. Because it isn't. And that's okay." - The Content Factory

TunnelBear: Access TunnelBear’s VPN through your browser

Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Opera

Why We Like It: There are many reasons to use a VPN — added security, more anonymity, an easy way to bypass throttling — but for many, it can be a bit intimidating.

With the TunnelBear browser extension, you can easily access TunnelBear’s VPN in your browser.

If all you want to do is be safe while you’re browsing the Internet or doing a bit of work in a coffee shop, then this add-on is perfect for you. Likewise, TunnelBear has a free plan that allots you 500MB of data every month. While that isn’t enough to get a lot of work done, it’s plenty to handle your daily trip to the cafe.

Plus, the TunnelBear mascot is a literal bear inside of a tunnel, and it's adorable.

"There are many #VPN providers to choose from, but @theTunnelBear is the cutest by far (and easy to use!)." - The Content Factory

The Best Google Chrome Extensions for Improving Your Social Media Workflow

Bitly: A URL shortener with powerful tracking

Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Safari

Why We Like It: If you aren’t familiar with Bitly, it’s a simple tool that allows you to shorten URLs into something a bit more manageable. So instead of a URL like "http://www.yourdomain.com/site/another/twentyurl.php?454354353453453452432fsgdfgjoeejyjeggjrjgerjgejg/" you could just create "bit.ly/mysite." Not only is that a much easier link to share and memorize, but it’s just less intimidating overall.

The Bitly browser extension lets you do this all from your browser — you don’t even have to go to their website. Once you generate your bitlink, you can check Bitly's analytics to see how many people clicked it.

"#Productivity tip: Using the @Bitly browser extension to shorten URLs can shave minutes from your workflow (and that can add up over time)." - The Content Factory

Buffer: Allows you to share and schedule content on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more

Platform: Chrome, Firefox

Why We Like It: One of the keys to running a successful social media account is diversifying the information you’re sharing. If all you do is link promotional material to your followers, your channel won’t grow. After all, how many channels do you follow that just self-promote all day? Unless you’re incredibly invested in the brand, it’s unlikely you have many.

In order to diversify your feed, it’s important to share relevant content frequently. A browser extension like Buffer makes that easy, letting you quickly schedule content that aligns well with your target audience. If you already use Buffer as a social media management tool, this extension is a no-brainer!

"Not only is @BufferApp a first-rate #SMM tool, but its browser extension is a huge time saver." - The Content Factory

BuzzSumo: Quickly pulls share counts for the page you’re looking at

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: We love BuzzSumo at TCF — it’s a digital marketing tool we can’t live without. Likewise, the BuzzSumo Chrome extension is a vital part of our kit.

With the browser add-on, there’s no need to go to BuzzSumo’s site to analyze a page. In your browser you’ll be able to see how many times a page has been shared, what pages on that domain are the most successful, and who has shared that particular page.

"#Marketing Tip: For quick data on social shares, you can't beat the @BuzzSumo extension." - The Content Factory

Google Analytics URL Builder: An extension-based version of Google’s URL shortener.

Platform: Chrome

Why We Like It: If you’re just trying to generate a single tracking code — or if fine-tuning your analytics isn’t part of your daily routine — then this add-on probably won’t streamline your workflow that much.

Yet, if you’re optimizing campaigns with a lot of links coming in from various sources, then the Google Analytics URL Builder is invaluable. It takes an already powerful tool and adds functionality, making it easier to tag URLs with campaign variables. It can read your current web address automatically, force lowercase, auto-generate a URL and remember the last UTM you set — so you don’t have to keep track of it yourself.

"#Marketing Tip: If you shorten URLs or deal with UTM codes on the daily, the Google Analytics URL Builder extension is a huge time saver." - The Content Factory

Looking for Something a Little More Powerful Than a Google Chrome Extension?

Happy with your browser toolkit? Not quite sure what tools you should be using — or if you should be using them at all? The Content Factory can help you learn to use the tools you have — or we can take over and save you the trouble.

Check out our online training courses and manuals here, as well as our 1-1 options for personalized training.

By Guest Contributor

chrome extensions, increase productivity

  1. Thanks For this blog!!!
    It gives idea about google chrome extensions for digital marketer. This is very helpful in digital marketing.

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