If offering a wide range of useful features is the perfect tactic for a browser to amass a following, then Google Chrome has made the best of it. However, making it easier to surf the web is one thing. Throw in extensions that simplify a blogger’s life and you have one more surefire way to garner devotees.
Even though no two blogs (or bloggers) are the same, there is no escaping the customary tasks that go with keeping a blog site up and running. With Google Chrome positioning itself as an all-in-one source that makes gathering information, publishing and analyzing traffic less complicated, a blogger can stick to the all-important rule of working smarter instead of harder.
Here’s what has become the top 5 Chrome extensions for bloggers:
SEO for Chrome. Designed to be user-friendly, SEO for Chrome is the “Swiss Army knife” of SEO tools. By simply entering a blog’s URL into the search bar, everything from traffic levels to page rank to keyword popularity can be analyzed in one fell swoop. This is great not only for researching one’s own SEO position but for keeping an eye on how the competition is doing as well.
Google Dictionary. Poorly-spelled content (or content that is grammatically awkward) is the kiss of death for any blogger. Supported in a number of languages, the Google Dictionary extension allows users to click on a word or phrase and immediately view its meaning or definition. However, its most important use may be for reconciling those moments of word amnesia– something that happens to even the most astute blogger.
BlogThis!/ManageWP. Rather than going through the rigmarole of logging in and out of multiple platforms, this extension allows a blog to be updated from the browser. Once downloaded, blog owners can click on the Blogspot or WordPress button in the toolbar and open their site in a separate tab. All the various tasks that go with managing and updating a blog (or multiple blogs) can then be performed from one dashboard.
Hootsuite Publishing. Most bloggers rely heavily on social media in their marketing strategy. With the Hootesuite Publishing extension, new material can be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all the other top social networking sites within a few clicks. Using the convenient automatic publishing feature, bloggers can plan ahead and specify dates and times to have their social media accounts updated.
Blog Security. For all the serious work that goes into maintaining a blog, keeping up on security measures should be a top priority. Bugs, hackers and other inconvenient issues can easily discourage readers and keep them from coming back. The Blog Security extension creates a central control panel where blog permissions, site settings and security-related issues can be attended to quickly and easily.
Having a blog is often compared to having a small business at one’s fingertips. Just like any other business owner, a blog owner needs tools to protect his or her investment as well as maintain it. These top 5 Chrome extensions for bloggers provide all the means for doing just that.
Frank Ashton writes regularly on topics useful to other bloggers. Keeping abreast of the latest trends and passing tips onto others is his personal passion. If you’re looking to start a blog yourself, be sure to run a comparison of hosting reviews on a reputable site, such as WhoIsHostingThis.
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