At least once a week, 20 minutes per week.

That’s what we tell clients they need to do to keep their websites dynamic, to maintain a thriving web presence for their businesses.

But reality is that that’s not always possible.  Sometimes, inspiration comes easily and we can bang out a post a day for a week or two, no problem.  But then we get slammed with other projects, the blog slips, and we commit the mortal sin of ignoring it too long. 

Don’t panic.  First, here are some simple tricks for avoiding that senario:

1) When you go through those weeks of high creativity combined with a lull in other aspects of your business, write all the posts you’re dying to write.  Take pictures, generate as much content as you can.  But don’t post it.  Save it in draft form.  Then when you’re suddenly up to your ears in other work it’s a simple matter to open a draft, read it through, refresh it a little, and hit post;

2)  Set realistic goals.  Don’t try to post every day unless you are a prolific writer and expect your blog to generate income.  Write once or twice a week — that’s enough to keep your web presence fresh;

3)  Remember that straight lines are the least aesthetically appealing.  By this we mean:  vary your posts.  Some should be light, some should be packed with industry-relevent information.  Some short, some long, some with lots of pictures, some without.  This variety also helps you continue to produce — you’ll naturally be better at some kinds of posts than others, so you can do the easy ones when you need to bang something out, and save the harder ones for days you have more time.

Sometimes, even despite that, you’ll look up and realize it’s been a week or two and you haven’t posted.  That’s okay, too.  Just remember the number one rule:  No excuses.  Your readers and clients aren’t interested in your troubles.  They come to your blog to gain something for themselves.  Offer perspective, information, insight.  Never complaints.

And then get back up and back into the regular posting routine.