Getting started
Step by step guide for Chrome extension listing optimization
Introduction
There are ~100,000 extensions in Chrome Webstore. Top extensions have more than 10,000,000 installs. Some companies publish hundreds of extensions with 100,000,000 compound installs.
Chrome extension listing receives organic traffic from Webstore and Google search.
Even though Google has the superior search technology, currently Chrome Webstore could be manipulated with 00's SEO techniques.
Extpose provides analytics and actionable insights that help you optimize your chrome extension listing and eventually get more installs.
Listing optimization
Listing optimization is process of changing your texts, media content to reach goals:
Get more visibility and traffic to your extensions
Optimize conversion rate — a ratio of installs to impressions
So it's all about getting more installs organically.
If you are marketing a mobile application this process called ASO (App store optimization)
Texts matter a lot for search algorithms. On many keywords, you can get top ranking simply by stuffing listing with the keywords.
Drive more traffic
Here are multiple strategies that could drive you more traffic.
Climb up in rankings
Let's say you are working on a single keyword.
Top 3 extensions get much more traffic because by default Webstore displays only three extensions.
Extpose provides tools that help you improve rankings.
Keyword performance report analyses texts and show how top-ranking extensions use keywords in their texts. Keywords in title and manifest seem to be more critical for search results positions. As you can see in the following example competing companies put keywords many times to each of the text fields.
Also, Extpose provides keyword ranking history report as a chart and as a table. This report also contains recent changes in listing for the competing extensions.
Choose better keywords
The data of which keyword is better is not easily accessible.
You can use Google Trends to get some clues or at least compare one keyword to another.
Extpose provides keyword discovery report that analyses top competitors and extracts keywords used by competitors.
Long-tail keywords
You can provide ~16,000 character description in the listing. It doesn't seem that you will be penalized for using all available length.
Adding a lot of text is a good idea. Many extensions paste relevant content and get long-tail exposure.
You could find some tips here on Quora - https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-SEO-tips-for-Chrome-Web-Store
Multiple languages
Even if you are targeting English-speaking users it's a good idea to translate you listing and manifest to all available languages. Simply by doing it, you can drive 50% more installs.
Conversion rate
Currently, Extpose uses only Google Analytics data that is exposed with API
There are two sources of data that could be used:
Chrome Webstore dev console
Google Analytics
Chrome Webstore features are well documented here https://developer.chrome.com/webstore
As for Google Analytics, you should create a new Property in your GA account, specify Google Analytics ID in Chrome Webstore listing.
After setting up these tools you can extract:
Impressions in the store - number of appearances of your extension in search results
Opens - Number of times a user opens your extension page
Installs
There metrics matter:
CTR = opens / impressions
Extension page conversion rate = installs / opens
Overall conversion rate = installs / impressions
Listing impacts these metrics.
If your extension has a compelling title and promotional image you will get better CTR.
If your extension has a good description, screenshots, high rating and good reviews you are more likely to get better conversion rate.
Extension page conversion rate is available in Extpose dashboard. Follow the guide https://docs.extpose.com/how-to-connect-google-analytics to get GA linked.
Here are branding guidelines that could help you: https://developer.chrome.com/webstore/branding
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