Top 5 Free and Fantastic Chrome Browser Extensions for Small Businesses

In recent months, Google Chrome has become the browser of choice for the majority of internet users. This particular browser accounts for more than 31% of all the browser usage on the internet, mainly in part to the easy to navigate and simple layout. One of the reasons many small business owners are making the switch to Google Chrome is because of the numerous free extensions and apps available to customize the platform. Now business owners can make use of free Google Chrome business extensions to make their experience online serve their needs. Here are the top five free and fantastic Google Chrome business extensions for small businesses.

1. Evernote
One of the most important free Google Chrome business extensions that you can use for your small business is the Evernote extension. Similar to carrying around a small notebook with you throughout the day, Evernote allow you to organize all your notes from multiple platforms in one place. That means if you are taking notes throughout the day on your mobile phone, laptop, table, or desktop computer, you can easily organize them all in one easy to access location. Now you have the ability to offload all your to-do lists, reference materials, and important documents into Evernote and be able to then retrieve them from anyone instantly. A huge must have for any business owner who is always on the move.

2. Awesome Screenshot
The Awesome Screenshot extension is one that small business owners must have if they want to increase productivity and free up their valuable time. In the past, if you wanted to communicate something to an employee you would have had to make a detailed diagram with complicated instructions for them. With Awesome Screenshot, you simply capture a page, add some highlights, arrows, and bullet points, crop out the stuff you don't need, and send. In minutes you have a highly detailed guide that will clearly get across your point in a much more visual way. No more long text descriptions, these screenshot diagrams pinpoint exactly where you need them to focus their attention.

3. Buffer
Social media has literally transformed the way that small businesses run their company. In the past if a customer had a bad experience with a store, they would run home and tell five people, with social media they click a mouse and tell 5,000 of them instantly. Small business owners have to be able to stay on top of all their social media presences without spending the majority of the day doing so. The Buffer extension allows the small business owner to simply share links, blogs, and important information with followers. The scheduling feature will drip your content rather than blast everyone at once, giving readers the appearance that you are on these forums more often taking care of business. This extension simplifies posting content across several social media platforms so you can maximize your efforts elsewhere.

4. LastPass
When you run a small business, you are constantly accessing different websites during the course of the day. With each of those websites requiring a password to log in, it can become a real challenge remembering each one. Using the same password is extremely dangerous considering once a hacker gains access to it they can compromise your entire operation. The LastPass extension integrates all of your unique passwords in one place, allowing you to never have to keep up with memorizing or writing down all those passwords again. This extension will safe you a tremendous amount of time and increase your online security.

5. PageRank Status
The PageRank Status is one of those Google Chrome business extensions that will save you time and help you to grow your business at the same time. Whenever you visit a website, the PageRank Status bar will instantly tell you the rank of the page and website. This is extremely important when you work on your link building. Connecting with websites that rank high only increases the value of the links and content on your website. Now you have the ability to instantly know which websites are worth pursuing for link building consideration and you can compare your content and measure your own viability.