There are a few Firefox plugins I use that make my life (job) incredibly easier. If there are any that are similar to these, that people find to be better for their desired tasks, I’d love to hear about them. Here we go.
WASP
Web Analytics Solution Profile/Debugger (WASP) is a wonderful plug-in developed by Stephane Hamel. I haven’t indulged in the paid version yet, but I may have to, as WASP’s current version only lasts 20 minutes. But the best thing about WASP is it allows you to quickly identify the web analytics solution(s) being used on a site, via the status bar. The tool also allows you to glance at the parameters and values being sent with the request, by toggling a side bar. This is nice if you need to check if you’ve correctly set up the tagging on a given page. The paid version provides some additional benefits, so it may be worth checking out in more detail.
HTTPFox
If you need to see your analytics data in more detail,
HTTPFox is perfect. It monitors all http requests from your browser, allowing you to filter out the analytics requests and see in greater detail if things are in order with your tagging. You can view the query string for any request, and also view any cookie requests being made. It really is a necessity if you are either tagging a site yourself, or verifing that tagging was correctly setup on a site.
SEO for Firefox
SEO for Firefox provides so much data, I can’t describe all of its features. You have to use it if you even remotely care about SEO for your own website, or for your clients. If there is a better SEO plugin, I want to know about it. The two features I use the most with SEO for Firefox are the abiltiy to “X-ray” a page and see the SEO oriented details in a snap; and the ability to see intricate details for all pages on a Google SERP.
SearchStatus
I think
SearchStatus may really slow page loading in Firefox, but I’m not sure about that, and it hasn’t deterred me from using the plugin. The simple benefit I get from SearchStatus is the Google PageRank in my status bar. This means I don’t have to run the Google ToolBar, and I can still see the PageRank in a glance.
Foxmarks
I discovered Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer a little while ago when I found myself switching to my 6th laptop in 30 months. Foxmarks stores all your bookmarks and passwords, and then syncs them with any machines you use. If you use two different machines, and want the same bookmarks on both, this tool is what you want to use. If you just want the security of being able to setup a brand new computer, and quickly be able to access all the sites you’re used to visiting, without having to plugin the URLs and rememeber the passwords, then Firefox is also for you. I love this plugin, and have never had any problems with it.
Firebug
If you develop then you know about Firebug, and if you don’t develop you probably don’t need Firebug. But if you’re kind of in the middle like me, and you don’t know about it, then you may want to check it out. It helps me out in one major way: working with CSS. I am a total amature with CSS, and Firebug saves me so much time when it comes to identifying the correct elements, properties or values that I need to change or “fix” when things aren’t looking the way I want. I couldn’t finish this post without giving credit to Firebug for being one of the most useful Firefox plug-ins available.
There are a few more that I use, but these plug-ins help me out when it comes to productivity. If you have any other plug-ins you find value in using, I’d love to hear about them.
Tags: SEM, SEO tools, web analytics tools, web development tools
