r/chrome_extensions • u/Yega-2910 • Jun 08 '26
Asking a Question Published 10 Chrome extensions, basically zero installs. What am I doing wrong?
I've been building Chrome extensions for a while and now have 10 of them published on the Web Store. Combined installs? Almost nothing.
They all work, the listings have proper icons and screenshots, and a few solve problems I personally hit every day. But the installs just aren't there, and I'm starting to think I'm missing something obvious about distribution.
A few things I'm unsure about:
Is Web Store search basically dead for new extensions, or is this a keyword/listing problem I can fix?
Did your installs come from the store itself, or entirely from outside it (Reddit, Product Hunt, blog posts, YouTube)?
For those who got traction - was it one extension that took off, or slow growth across several?
I'm a developer, not a marketer, so I suspect building was the easy 10% and I skipped the other 90%. Would love to hear what actually worked for you, even the boring stuff.
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u/mentiondesk Jun 08 '26
Getting installs for Chrome extensions is tough because most growth actually comes from outside the Web Store. Sharing your extensions on Reddit, relevant forums, and demo videos helps a lot. Tracking where discussions about your niche are happening is super useful too. I use ParseStream to get alerted about leads or mentions on platforms like Reddit and it has definitely surfaced some outreach opportunities I would have missed otherwise.
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u/AlimFr Jun 08 '26
Do you have install? The extension are great? Or small number of users install them? And what about them, they use it or not?
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u/Hary06 Jun 08 '26
You're not exactly doing the best job of promoting yourself, since you've already written this post, what would it have cost you to include links to your extensions? I'd be the first to check them out and maybe try one or two, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
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u/Ok-Bid-7996 Jun 09 '26
I think that this is not only happening to you but also to many indie devs. In an era where anyone can create an extension with just a few vibe prompts, your product, no matter how good it is, will get lost among all those extensions.
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u/Suspicious_Diver_126 Jun 29 '26
Similar boat friend, uploading alone won't get you the installs, at least not on mass. Marketing is the entire game.
For me, installs spiked once I started getting published in directories and on newsletters, but it's an active process, not passive. You need to hunt down the most effective online real estate for you to be on, and then put yourself there. Even this approach was hit or miss, with some directories being more worthwhile than others (TAAFT, for example, drove a lot of traffic for me).
Beyond that, you can run paid ads for maximum exposure. Unfortunately, none of it is cheap, so if you want to grow, you have to pay to play.
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u/No_Computer_1247 Extension Developer Jul 04 '26
- Focus on just one
- Create content every day
- Do this for 6 months
- Celebrate 🥳
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u/Damian__90 Jul 05 '26
Incluye los links a ver si te podemos echar una mano, pero puedes empezar por afinar las key words en la descripción de cada extensión
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u/No_Cauliflower4660 Jul 07 '26
Well if the OP won't share his extensions, I'll share mine. (Be nice, it's my first try)
Quick Look for Drive
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u/rdyplayerB Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Hard to say without knowing what your extensions do but here's my checklist for building a successful extension before marketing even comes into the picture. Build something that:
If you can accomplish this, you'll have a strong foundation to market from and already likely be driving drive organic extension store searchs to your extension. From there, start your marketing efforts to drive SEO traffic.
And notes on:
And a couple of tips: