8 Mistakes To Avoid When Developing Chrome Extensions

In my view, open-sourcing your Chrome Extension this is a mistake. Let me explain by firstly starting with the upsides of open-sourcing your Chrome extension.

Well, it can be a great way to build community involvement and receive valuable feedback from a wider audience.

Open-sourcing allows other developers to contribute to the extension's development, resulting in potentially faster innovation and increased user engagement.

Additionally, open-sourcing can help establish your extension as a reputable and reliable tool in the eyes of users.

But, and it’s a big but (I cannot lie) … open-sourcing your extension also comes with potential risks.

These include potential code vulnerabilities, security risks, and compatibility issues that may arise from other developers altering your extension's code. Open-sourcing can also result in the loss of control over your extension's development and direction, which may not align with your initial vision.

And finally, the big reason why I think it’s a mistake to open source your extension … monetisation 💰

One of the main challenges is that users have come to expect open-sourced extensions to be free. So, transitioning to a paid model can be challenging from the end-users' perspective.

Additionally, developers who have contributed to the open-sourced repository may not be receptive to the idea of monetizing the extension. They may feel that their contributions should be freely available to everyone or that they themselves should get a cut of any income gained from the extension.

Furthermore, if developers fork the repository and create their versions of the extension, it can make it difficult to monetize the original extension.

These developers can claim that they contributed to the original codebase, making it challenging to differentiate the original extension from the forks. Additionally, if the forks offer similar features for free, it can be challenging to convince users to pay for the original extension.

To mitigate the impact of these cloned extensions, you could focus on creating unique features or services that are not available in the forks. Additionally, offering personalized customer support, exclusive access to new features, and advanced features can help differentiate the original extension and justify a paid model.

Or, to keep it simple, just don’t open-source your Chrome Extension in the first place!

Integrating new technologies into your Chrome extension can be a tempting prospect, as it can offer exciting features and functionality to your users. However, it's essential to consider the learning curve and potential risks involved in using unfamiliar technologies.

Overcomplicating your extension with these technologies can lead to a range of problems, including bugs, performance issues, and development delays.

When it comes to developing your Chrome extension, it's best to stick with technologies that you're familiar with. These technologies are likely to be more stable and reliable, making it easier to build and maintain your extension. If you are considering integrating new technologies, make sure to take the time to thoroughly research and learn about them to minimize the risk of introducing errors and delays.

Otherwise, there’s a decent chance you’ll end up building a Chrome Extension that doesn’t perform correctly or takes much longer than anticipated to build.

One common mistake developers make when creating Chrome extensions is asking for too many unnecessary permissions upfront. This mistake can have significant consequences, including a decrease in user trust, privacy concerns, and reduced adoption rates.

When developing an extension, it's essential to take a step back and carefully consider the permissions required for it to function properly. In doing so, you should consider which permissions are necessary and which ones are not, as asking for too many unnecessary permissions can be off-putting to users.

To avoid this mistake, you should prioritize transparency and only ask for permissions that are necessary for the extension to work as intended.

When asking for permissions, it's crucial to explain to users why you are asking for them and how they will be used. This transparency not only helps to build trust with your users, but it can also increase adoption rates.

For example, if you're developing an extension that requires access to a user's location, be clear about why you need this information and how it will be used. Is it necessary for the functionality of the extension, or is it just a nice-to-have feature? If it's not essential, consider removing this permission request altogether.

By carefully considering the permissions required and being transparent with users, you can build more trust with your users, improve privacy concerns, and ultimately increase adoption rates for your extension.

Ignoring user feedback is a mistake that can lead to a lack of engagement and usage. By disregarding feedback, you may miss out on valuable insights into what is working and what is not, which can negatively impact the extension's performance.

It's therefore crucial to actively seek out and listen to user feedback. This feedback can come in many forms, such as reviews, comments, support tickets, emails and feature suggestions.

It's important to acknowledge and respond to user feedback, even if it's negative. Engaging with users in this way not only helps build trust but also demonstrates that you are committed to improving your product.

To effectively incorporate user feedback into your extension's development process, consider adding a feedback mechanism within your extension. By doing so, you make it easy for users to provide input and ensure that their feedback is heard.

When receiving feedback, it's essential to analyze it objectively and prioritize the most critical issues. Don't be afraid to ask follow-up questions or clarify feedback if necessary. Once you've identified the most pressing concerns, work to address them in your next update or release.

Finally, don’t bury your head in the sand when it comes to negative feedback. Negative feedback can be tough to hear, but it's often the most valuable. By listening to user concerns and addressing them proactively, you can improve the user experience and increase engagement.

Violating Google's policies is a significant mistake that can have severe consequences for a Chrome extension developer. Google has strict policies that developers must comply with to ensure the safety and security of users. If you violate these policies, your extension may be removed from the Chrome Web Store, leading to a loss of users and damaging your reputation.

Google have several key policies and principles you should follow to ensure that your Chrome Extension maintains an excellent reputation:

Be Safe: The Chrome Web Store aims to ensure the safety of developers and users by removing extensions that pose security threats, access unnecessary data, take advantage of users, promote hate speech, or abuse the network.

Be Honest: The Chrome Web Store values transparency and honesty in extension development. Developers must disclose all functionalities of their extensions without deceiving or misleading users. Chrome will remove extensions that engage in dishonest behaviour, utilize clickbait tactics, or mislead users.

Be Useful: The Chrome Web Store encourages developers to create extensions that provide a positive user experience and are educational, informative, and inclusive. Extensions that lack utility or expected functionality will be removed. Additionally, Chrome provides helpful tools to encourage innovation.

To avoid violating Google's policies, it's vital that you carefully review and understand the policies before creating and releasing an extension. It's also important to stay up-to-date on any changes or updates to the policies and to comply with any new requirements.