Choosing a free SEO extension
A good free SEO Chrome extension shows useful metrics right where you search, explains where its numbers come from, covers the work you actually do (keywords, competitors, local, on-page), asks only for the permissions it needs, has a clear privacy policy, works without forcing an account and can be hidden when you do not need it.
The checklist
- 1Metrics on the results page. Can you judge each result without opening it? Look for site strength, links, traffic and age.
- 2A summary of the whole first page. A single difficulty score or verdict saves more time than ten separate numbers.
- 3Keyword data where you search. Volume, cost per click and trend under the search box keep research in one place.
- 4Local SEO support. If you work with local businesses, check whether it reads Google Maps and can audit a Business Profile.
- 5On-page checks. Headings, links, images, schema and redirects in one click are worth more than one more number.
- 6AEO and GEO. Answer engines are a growing source of visibility, so an answer readiness check is now useful.
- 7Honest data. Third-party metrics are estimates. Good tools say so and do not present them as Google numbers.
- 8Privacy and permissions. Read what it sends and stores. Many extensions need access to all sites to work on any page, so the policy matters more than the permission prompt.
- 9Fair limits and control. Check whether it needs an account, how many lookups it allows, and whether you can hide bars you do not need.
Questions to ask about privacy
- Does it send the full address of every page I visit, or only domain names?
- Are page contents read on my computer or uploaded?
- Is there an account, and what personal details does it hold?
- Can I delete everything it stored, and how?
Speed and clutter
Several SEO extensions changing the same results page can slow it down and get in each other's way. Keep one main SEO extension switched on, and turn the others off when you do not need them.
How SBMM SERP Signals answers the checklist
- Metrics on results
- DR, DA, PA, spam score, referring domains, backlinks, traffic, age, rank and DMCA on each organic result
- First page summary
- Verdict, average DR gauge, DR and DA spectrum, top 10 table and weak site filters
- Keyword data
- Volume, CPC, competition, 12 month trend and Difficulty by SBMM, plus a Keyword Ideas tool
- Local SEO
- Rows on Google Maps and the local pack, and a Business Profile Audit with a score out of 100
- On-page and AEO/GEO
- One-click page audit with headings, links, images, schema, redirects and an AEO/GEO score
- Data honesty
- Numbers come from third-party SEO data providers and the page itself, shown as estimates
- Privacy
- Sends domain names, result URLs and the searched keyword with an anonymous install ID, never the full addresses or contents of the pages you read
- Account and price
- Free, no account needed, fair-use limits on lookups
- Control
- One-click ON/OFF power button, a switch for every feature, a collapsible sidebar and a top bar you can hide
Try it on your next search
SBMM SERP Signals is free on the Chrome Web Store and works in Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other Chromium browsers. Install it, search on Google, and every result shows its numbers straight away.
- Free, no account
- Works on Google, Maps, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Brave Search and Yandex
- Page tools on any website
Frequently asked questions
Many are, but check before you install: read the privacy policy, see what data is sent and stored, look at who makes it, and remove extensions you no longer use.
Tools that work on any page, such as a top bar or a one-click page audit, need permission to run on every site. What matters is what they do with that access, which the privacy policy should explain in plain words.
Most Chrome SEO extensions also work in Edge and other Chromium browsers that can install from the Chrome Web Store. SBMM SERP Signals works in Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other Chromium browsers that install from the Chrome Web Store.
You can, but several extensions editing the same results page may slow it down or clash. Keep one main SEO extension on and switch others off when not needed.