From 0 to 1K Users: A Hard Experience That Inspires Me to Build Extension Ranker
When I was a product manager at my last company, I was responsible for designing and operating several Chrome extensions. Every time we launched a new extension, I found myself asking the same question:
How can I get through the early stage and acquire the first 1,000 users?
It wasn't easy to me.
Why is it so hard to get through the early stages?
Due to the company's strong focus on efficiency, any initiative that couldn't immediately prove ROI was hard to justify. I couldn't get much support from the team to ship new features. My only option was to improve the usage flow of our extensions and hope that small optimizations would give us an edge in a crowded market. As a result, we have very limited content to promote.
But usage flow improvements alone were not enough to support effective marketing. Without new features, we didn't have compelling stories to tell or eye-catching updates to share. This made it extremely difficult to create engaging content for social media, newsletters, or product communities. On top of that, the lack of clear promotional angles made it hard to get any support from influencers or KOLs — they simply were not interested in promoting a product that didn't offer something visibly new or different.
Is There a Better Way to Get Users—Without Ads or Big Budgets?
After repeated failed attempts at growth, I began to rethink the problem. Was there a way to consistently acquire new users without running ads or spending a lot of resources?
That question led me deep into the traffic mechanics of the Chrome Web Store.
Through research, testing, and analyzing dozens of successful extensions, I discovered something surprisingly underrated:
Search ranking is one of the most overlooked sources of organic traffic.
Most users rely on the search bar when looking for extensions. Naturally, those that rank near the top of search results get the most visibility, clicks, and installs.
One key breakthrough came from insights shared by François Grante, the developer of the Hunter extension. With his insights, I began testing methods like keyword optimization, improving user ratings, and increasing weekly active users.
It wasn't easy — but over time, our extension finally started ranking on the first page for several core keywords. That ranking drove a steady and sustainable stream of new users—all without paid marketing.
Most Developers Face the Same Problem—But Don't Realize It
That experience made me realize something important:
Many indie developers and small teams face the exact same problem I did—limited budget, minimal resources, and no clear path to impression.
According to Chrome-Stats, 74.1% of Chrome extensions have fewer than 1,000 users. That's not because these extensions aren't good — it's because they're buried in search results.
After I left my job, I kept thinking: Why not turn this proven approach into a tool that others can use?
That's how the idea for Extension Ranker was born.
What I'm Building: A Simple Tool to Help Chrome Extensions Get Discovered
Extension Ranker is a product-in-progress that aims to help Chrome extension developers:
- Improve search ranking in the Chrome Web Store.
- Break through the cold-start phase.
- Achieve sustainable, organic growth—without relying on ads.
Whether you are an indie developer launching your first extension or a small team struggling to get visibility, I believe Extension Ranker can help.
👉 I'm still building it, but I'd love your feedback: Visit the website.
Let's figure it out together.