SaaS & Tech
Browser Extension Launch Playbook
A browser extension lives in a store listing with little room to explain itself. People searching for a way to do something in their browser rarely search the store first. This playbook builds the small set of web pages an extension needs so they can find it from search and install it with confidence.
Who this is for
Developers and small teams launching a browser extension for one or more browsers.
Before you start
- The extension published, or ready to publish, in at least one browser store.
- A list of the permissions it requests and the reason for each.
- A simple website or landing page you can publish articles to.
- Screenshots of the extension in use on real pages.
Step 1
Plan around browser tasks
Find the tasks people try to do in the browser before they look for an extension.
- List the tasks the extension helps with and the questions people search about them.
- List the alternatives: other extensions, built-in browser features and manual workarounds.
- Decide which tasks get a how-to article and which are covered on the landing page.
- Start with the task most installs come from.
Step 2
Create how-to and trust pages
Explain the task, the extension and its permissions.
- Write how-to articles that show the task with and without the extension.
- Write a permissions page explaining every permission in plain language.
- Write a short comparison with built-in browser features, stating where they are enough.
- Use screenshots from the current version in every article.
Step 3
Publish alongside the listing
Connect the website and the store listings.
- Link the website from each store listing and each listing from the website.
- Publish the permissions page before launch and link it from the install button.
- Add a changelog page and update it with each release.
- Plan the next how-to articles from the reviews and questions that arrive.
Step 4
Measure and maintain
Keep pages current as browsers and the extension change.
- Track installs that come from the website separately from store browsing, where the store allows it.
- Check which how-to articles appear in search in your search console.
- Update articles when a browser update changes the steps.
- Reply to recurring review questions with a new article rather than a one-off answer.
Common pitfalls
- Asking for broad permissions without explaining them, which stops cautious users installing.
- Articles that describe a browser interface that has since changed.
- A website that links to only one store when the extension supports several browsers.
Where Opus Rank helps
Tutorials for the parts of this plan you can do in Opus Rank.
- Generate an article: every option on the form
Set length and article type for each short how-to.
- Featured and in-article images
Add images to articles alongside your own screenshots.
- Export an article
Export finished articles for a site you host yourself.
Related playbooks
Turn a playbook into published articles
Plan the topics, generate drafts in your own voice and publish them to your site from one workspace.