12 Best Chrome Extensions Every Web Designer Should Use

One of the easiest ways of streamlining web development/design is by using extensions, and when it comes to making the work easier and smoother, Chrome web store has got plenty of them, ranging from web designing to productivity-boosting. There are literally hundreds of Chrome extensions that can help you with various aspects of web development. You can use the extensions to speed up your work, streamline workflow and save time. Below is a selection of 12 of the best Google chrome extensions for web designers and developers.

PageEdit

With PageEdit, you can quickly edit the code of any page you are working on, without leaving Chrome. After installing the extension, Chrome turns into a WYSIWYG HTML editor, allowing you to make real-time changes on your web pages without having to use any other development software. If you are editing a few static web pages, PageEdit will help to speed up your work.

CSS Shapes Editor

Want to create and edit CSS Shapes values easily? Use the CSS Shapes Editor extension. The extension provides control of CSS Shapes by allowing you to create and edit CSS values through an interactive editor that overlaps the selected element. To get started, open your web page on Chrome, and click the extension to highlight your CSS Shapes. You can then make edits with the extension, and see how they appear on your web page.

Yslow

Use Yslow to find out how quickly your web pages are loading and whether there are any elements slowing it down. The extension tests your web page against 23 of 34 rules followed by Yahoo’s performance team. Use Yslow to analyze how your web pages will perform when they go live, and how you can improve their speed before deployment on the Internet. With performance being ever more important in web development, Yslow is turning out to be one the basic extensions every developer should be using.

iMacros for Chrome

One time-consuming activity during web development is to repeat your actions over and over again while testing your web pages. iMacros can help you save time, and eliminate the monotony or doing repetitive actions. The extension allows you to record your actions and save them once, and then use them multiple times. After recording, you can test your pages as many times as you wish simply by clicking the play button. This is one of the time-saving extensions that should be in your arsenal.

Web Developer Checklist

This is an all-in-one web development tool that allows you to check web pages for the best practices with regards to performance, accessibility, usability and SEO. The Web Developer Checklist extension will identify areas of your web pages that are based on the in-built checklist. You can then make the changes on the web pages quickly before deploying your site. For example, the extension can check your website for SEO and highlight errors such as missing title tags, meta description, H1 tags and so on.

Search Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is the online go-to place for web developers looking for answers on various web development queries. The community has a wealth of information on web design and development. Install Search Stack overflow to add a search box on your browser so that you can directly search the Stack Overflow community without having to open StackOverflow.com in a new tab.

PHP Ninja Manual

If you are looking for a specific PHP function, the PHP Ninja Manual will come in handy. The manual contains updated conventions on PHP 5.5 and when installed, is easily accessed on your browser. Rather than using Google to search for specific PHP functions, you can find them easily on your browser after installing PHP Ninja Manual. Using the extension is like having your own searchable PHP manual on your browser.

Perfect Pixel

With Perfect Pixel, you can be sure that your stunning design will match up perfectly when coded. After installing the extension, you can put a semi-transparent image overlay on top of your web page and compare all pixels one by one to ensure they are 100% accurate. Use Perfect Pixel to ensure your site matches the design, pixel by pixel.

User Agent Switcher

During development, you have to consider the end users and the devices they may use to access your web pages. This means having to test pages on different browsers and devices to ensure optimality in terms of performance and looks. You can use User Agent Switcher to see how your site will look on different user agents such as an Android devices, iPhone or iPad. Simply install the extension, click on it and choose a device simulation to see how the web page will look like.

Font Playground

Font Playground helps you to control the typography of your web pages. The extension allows you to experiment with all the fonts in the Google Library and see how they will look on a live web page. This is accomplished without having to make any actual changes. With the extension, you can see how your website will look with different font attributes such as weight, size, style and effects before implementing any changes.

PicMonkey

PicMonkey is a free online photo editor you can use to edit images and screenshots of your web pages. Apart from editing images, the extension allows you to grab every image and a screenshot of the whole page with a click of the button. After selecting a particular image, you can edit its attributes to match what you would like.

Check My Links

If you are building a large site, chances are that there will be some broken links after development. Your development process is likely to change along the way and it’s easy to forget to update links as you progress. Before deploying your site, use Check My Links to find broken links. The extension will comb your site and highlight all invalid links, allowing you to fix them before your site goes live. This is an essential list that covers 12 of the best Google chrome extensions for web designers and developers but there are other chrome extensions that web designers deem necessary as well. What other Google chrome extensions do you found useful? Please share your feedback with us in the comments.