3.5 billion people. This is half of the Earth’s population or the number of Google Chrome users. This means that half of this planet is the audience, which can be potentially turned into the traffic. This is the reason why Chrome Extension monetization is considered to be one of the easiest ways to make money online. Let’s get deeper into the nature of extensions.
Extension and What It Is Made of
To start from the basics Chrome extensions is special software, which has very narrow specific features and enhances the operational capacity of the browser. The name speaks for itself. This small program extends the default features of Chrome. Besides the additional value users get from using the initial functionality of the Chrome plugin, it also gives a chance to make some money on ads.
Thousands of extensions are available to download Chrome Web Store, which is a platform for Chrome plugins developers to place their products. Most of them are free of charge, and despite the name, users don’t have to pay for anything. Additionally last year Google announced shutting down all the Chrome apps and extensions remain the only option for developers and advertisers to promote their products. It means that this niche will streamline and open the opportunity windows for those, who strive to have an additional income with zero or minimum investments. Chrome extension can become a gold mine for three categories at the same time:
- Extension developers
- Product advertisers
- End users
Each of these categories requires different approaches, skills, and time resources. The financial result will differ as well.
What Is the Scheme Behind Extensions
Ads underline the basics of this scheme. Once the person installs the extension it starts to demonstrate the advertisement with a certain frequency. Users don’t need to jump between any third-party applications or software. The demonstration happens right away in the same browser, while a person is conducting a regular search on the internet.
The beauty of this method is that the user doesn’t have to click on the ad from one side, from another side, the advertisement pop-ups in a certain part of the screen as a block within a certain period. It doesn’t annoy the plugin user throughout the day.
To start monetizing your time on the internet you need to download and install certain extensions, which pay for the time spent on the internet. Now when you open the website, the ad-block or banner will appear for about 20-60 seconds and this time spent on its stargazing will be paid off. Usually, such ad blocks do not interfere with the work of the website and do not prevent from using it.
At this point it makes sense to state, that this is a win-win deal for all the parties involved:
- Advertisers promote their product, service, or resource.
- Internet users get passive income for the time they would spend on the internet anyway.
- Extension owners will get their piece of pie on each ad demonstration as an intermediary.
Make Dollar a Day with No Efforts
Let’s start with the most simple way of making money. No doubts it is an extension user, who can make some passive income without breaking a sweat.
The latest Global Digital reports showed that on average one person spends 6 hours 42 minutes online every day. Imagine, that you can get some additional money reimbursement for this time by actively using the extension. This is a very ambitious goal, but it is manageable to reach step by step:
- Start with the market evaluation and choose the most appropriate extension for you. The mechanism of Chrome extension monetization is similar for each plugin, however, they differ by the rate, currency, minimum withdrawal amount, and referral program. Read the terms and conditions carefully to make sure that you will be able to get your money and they will not be buried on the digital account. A few options worth taking a closer look at:
- ProfitSurf
- Everve
- Trafficly.io
- Surfe.be
- Addon.Money
2. Once the perfect extension is found, the user must download it and install it. After it plays with the setting, making sure that the ads demonstration mode is on. Every extension provides a user account, where you will have to provide your personal, payment data and preferences.
3. Start using your browser normally and check the wallet for your remuneration.
It can not make a fortune, but a dollar or two a day is a possible result, which may end up in nearly 50 dollars monthly. That would be enough to pay for your coffee or cell phone. On average the rate is a few cents for an hour of active watching, but it can be increased multiple times by creating a referral network by the means of your web resources, blogs, or social media accounts. Basically, on top of your income, you will get 5% out of other users’ income, who simply completed the registration by following your links.
Tips for Those Who Know the Code
The next level of making money on Chrome extensions is to make them. Of course, it requires special knowledge. And even if you know how to code, you need to come up with an idea for a plugin, spend time on its invention, testing, and placing it at the store. Still, it doesn’t make money by itself. To get profit this extension should play a role of a third party, which provides a platform for the ads to be placed and displayed. This involves some extra work on finding the advertisement and negotiating with them. Therefore, programmers have two option of how to make some cash on their brainchild:
- Simply to sell it. This is the easiest way to get rid of your extension and cover your time investments in its development. It will be a one-time payment, and it is up to the buyer what happens next with the program.
- Get money by placing it on a Chrome Web Store and promoting it, making it attractive for the advertisers. This option may be suitable not only for developers, as anyone can purchase an extension or hire a freelancer, who makes development with a modest rate.
How to Launch the Extension and Get the Payments
As an answer to scammer actions Chrome Web Store canceled the possibility to sell the apps or extensions directly to users, however, there are a few shortcuts to use.
- Use a custom payment solution option, while placing your extension in the Store. The TexTrade case proves that such a scheme perfectly works. The extension can be downloaded for free, however, to activate it, users should go to a separate website to purchase it. After the purchase confirmation, the user receives the activation code, which serves as a license key. This scheme brought its inventor nearly $4000 just in one week.
- The most amazing cases involve natural growth and using just Google to grow the extension to attract 80 000 new users per week. This is a success story by Shortkeys and its creator Mike Crittenden, who now started monetization by selling the upgrade version using basic Chrome Web Store Payments tools. Just after the first week of monetization 45 people upgraded their free version of Shortkey, which started to bring him profit right away.
Another way to streamline the sales after the Payments in Store will die is to use a separate platform. One of such platforms is Monetise.so. This is a billing portal for extension owners, which helps to keep up with the monetization with some minimum commission.
Another option to make money on the extension is to be dedicated totally to ads selling. It means that from the beginning extension will not bring any other value, except for popping up your advertisement at a very low rate. Such extension owners offer mainly three types of advertisement:
- Banners;
- Pop up windows;
- Add video.
This scenario attracts the advertisement by its extremely low cost per click rate, compared to the context ads. As a result, the whole campaign cost may cost 5 times less with the traffic to 300 000 unique views. This type of extension creates a win-win strategy both for extension developers and users.
Ways to Streamline the Extension Backfire
If you already have an extension, but it doesn’t bring desirable results, here comes three winning tactics to make it work:
- Content. This is not only about the value it brings, it is also about using the proper keywords, which google will index and natively increases the traffic.
- Build an affiliate network. If you don’t have the web resources to promote the extension, find people who are ready to promote it for a commission. This should be people with well-developed websites, social media platforms, who are looking for some extra income.
- Paid content. When it comes to the point that you are ready to ensure good traffic, you can sell the extension as a platform for ads.
A Fly in the Ointment
To add a few drawbacks for dreamers, who still believe that money can come just like that:
- Chrome extension is not a billionaire scheme, it brings the results slowly and proportionally to time invested
- Creating a really good product request a lot of productivity and its promotion will take some selling techniques and negotiation skills
- This market like any other can be compared to the live organism, which constantly changes and demands quest adoptions from its players.
Have you ever monetized Chrome extensions?
2 votes
Conclusion
To sum up, it should be mentioned that Chrome extension is an excellent option to start getting passive income. Even users can monetize their time spent on the internet by running specials extensions. Money earned on it may become good financial support to create an extension in the future and turn it into a working model, which brings monthly income. This is a good strategy to enter the market as it has low barriers and doesn’t require that much investment.
