Last month I wrote a how-to article on the website builder Rapidweaver. While RapidWeaver is a great piece of software with numerous options to create great looking websites, it also has a huge number of plugins available for users to try and use with their site.
In this article I’ve rounded up some of the best plugins available to RapidWeaver users to help you get the most out of your site. Read on to see my top ten RapidWeaver plugins.
The 10 Best RapidWeaver Plugins
Rapidsearch Pro
Rapidsearch Pro easily allows you to add a professional search index to your website along with a whole host of customizable options such as color schemes for your search results page or search index management so you have control over the results of the searches your visitors make.
Price: $19.97
Requires: RapidWeaver 5.0
Developer: Nimblehost
RapidMaps 2
RapidMaps 2 allows you to effortlessly add Google Map functionality to your website in seconds. The plugin also comes bundled with support for over 900 different pin icons.
Having Google Maps on your website opens up a number of opportunities and will really give your website a boost.
Price: $24.00 (approximately)
Requires: RapidWeaver 4.0
Developer: Omnidea
RapidLink
RapidLink is a great little plugin that manages your digital downloads and payments for you. This is great if you’re a professional photographer who wants to sell your images or even an app developer. Whatever you do, if you’re selling digital downloads you’ll definitely want to get the RapidLink plugin for your website.
Price: $30.00 (approximately)
Requires: RapidWeaver 4.0
Developer: Omnidea
RapidBlog
RapidBlog allows you to blog from almost anywhere on the planet (as long as you have an Internet connection) directly to your RapidWeaver site. Since RapidBlog is integrated with Blogger, you can add, edit and delete posts with Blogger that then appear instantly on your website.
Rapidblog also sports cool features such as multiple authors, meaning your visitors can experience more blog updates per day from a number of different authors.
Price: $14.95
Requires: RapidWeaver 4.0
Developer: Loghound Software
Accordion
Accordion allows you to add dynamic animated pages to your website and in the process make it look more professional and ultimately more fun for your visitors.
Why have a dull page of text when you can use Accordion to add animation and give your site some sparkle? Simple apps like Accordion can make a world of difference to your website and really make your site stand out from the rest.
Price: $14.95
Requires: RapidWeaver 4.0
Developer: YourHead
RapidCart 3
RapidCart 3 is a plugin that allows you to easily and quickly turn your site into an e-commerce website. RapidCart is simple and easy to use and has a whole host of cool features for those RapidWeaver users who are looking to start selling items.
You can simply drag and drop your products into a RapidCart page and away you go. It has support for coupon codes so you can offer friends and family discount as well as running promotions and it fully integrates with both PayPal and Google Checkout. It also integrates easily with RapidLink which I mentioned earlier in this round up.
Price: $30.00 (approximately)
Requires: RapidWeaver 4.0
Developer: Omnidea
RapidFlickr
If you’re a professional photographer or amateur, chances are you’ll have a Flickr account. RapidFlickr allows you to create stunning galleries and slideshows using the images you have uploaded to Flickr and post them directly onto your RapidWeaver website. RapidFlickr is a great way for you to get your photos out there and noticed.
Price: $9.95
Requires: RapidWeaver 4.0
Developer: Loghound Software
Stacks 2
Stacks 2 allows you to build your pages easily and flexibly. You simply drag and drop Stacks from the Stacks folder and add and remove content to suit your needs. You can also create your own Stacks for personal use or for other Stacks 2 users.
Price: $29.95
Requires: RapidWeaver 5.0
Developer: YourHead
RapidViewer
The RapidViewer plugin allows you to easily share documents that you create with visitors to your site. Be that document your sales forecast for next year or a discount coupon for a promotion you’re running RapidViewer is the plugin to use.
Since it uses Google Docs viewer there is no need for any extra downloads which makes life easier for both you and your customers. In addition RapidViewer doesn’t require Adobe Flash so all your documents will be viewable on iPhones and iPads.
Price: $12.00 (approximately)
Requires: RapidWeaver 4.0
Developer: Omnidea
Mobilize
Mobilize is a great plugin that quickly detects if your RapidWeaver site is being viewed on a mobile phone, tablet or any other mobile device. As more and more people own smartphones this is definitely a plugin you need to consider if you haven’t already or your site risks getting left behind by the competition.
Mobilize can be set up to redirect your visitor to a separate mobile website that you’ve made in order to optimize the browsing experience you provide to your visitors, regardless of the device they are using.
Price: $14.97
Requires: RapidWeaver 4.0
Developer: Nimblehost
Tell Us Your Favorite Plugins!
So there you have it, my top 10 RapidWeaver plugins. While they may not cover every style of website that you can create in RapidWeaver, I hope they are broad enough that a number of RapidWeaver users might try them out.
That’s the great thing about RapidWeaver, it is so diverse and the ability to use plugins further expands the range over which it can be used. If you have any favorite plugins that you like to use with RapidWeaver, please let us know in the comments below.