How I got Chrome to recommend my extension organically
16 days after launching READR on the Chrome Web Store, Google's algorithm picked it up and started recommending it in Chrome's extension sidebar.
No ad spend. No marketing budget. No team. Just a solo developer and a product people didn't uninstall.
Here's what I think made it happen ↓
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THE PRODUCT
READR strips any webpage down to just the words.
One click. Any site. Instantly clean.
No onboarding. No account. No setup.
Click the icon → everything else disappears.
Built on Mozilla's Readability engine — the same
one powering Firefox Reader View — so it works on
virtually everything.
600 lines of vanilla JS. 4 permissions only.
No telemetry. No backend. Runs entirely locally.
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THE NUMBERS
→ 37 installs
→ 1 uninstall
→ 97.3% retention rate
→ Users in US, Germany, UK, Taiwan, India
→ ChromeOS, Windows, Mac, Linux
→ Chrome sidebar recommended — organically
→ Zero paid acquisition
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WHAT I THINK TRIGGERED THE SIDEBAR
After digging into it, I believe four things
triggered Chrome's recommendation algorithm:
1. Clean store listing with the right keywords
2. Minimal permissions — Chrome trusts
low-permission extensions more
3. High retention — people kept it installed
4. Steady install growth without sudden spikes
that look artificial
The retention rate was the biggest signal. Chrome's algorithm watches what people keep, not just what they install.
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If you read a lot online, try it free.
Code READRPRO50 for 50% off Pro — $9.99
one-time, no subscription ever.
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