Building The Horror Guide to Drive Engagement and Organic Growth
Role: Creator, UX/UI Designer, Content Strategist, Developer
Timeline: 2025
Tools: WordPress, Canva, Figma, Notion, Google Analytics
Skills: Branding, UX design, SEO, content strategy, front-end editing, social media marketing
Overview
The Horror Guide is a passion project turned portfolio centerpiece—a niche horror blog built to attract fans of scary movies and shows through curated lists, honest reviews, and seasonal recommendations. This blog serves as both a creative outlet and a strategic way to showcase my skills in content marketing, design, and user experience.
The Challenge
I wanted to create a digital product that reflected both my personal interests and professional skills. My goals were to:
- Build a public-facing brand that shows my capabilities in UX, marketing, and design
- Establish authority in the horror niche with consistent, SEO-driven content
- Design a site experience that is engaging, easy to navigate, and optimized for mobile
- Grow a following and generate long-term traffic through organic search and social media
Strategy
This project was treated like a full product launch—from brand development and content planning to design, SEO, and social media integration.
Key steps included:
- Audience Definition: Targeted horror fans between 18–45 who enjoy curated recommendations, trending content, and a fan-first approach.
- Positioning & Voice: A conversational, fan-driven tone. More personal than critic-style, with a focus on relatability and fun.
- Content Categories:
- Movies: reviews, retrospectives, and recommendations
- TV Shows: underrated thrillers, streaming picks
- Lists: seasonal guides, hidden gems, “if you liked this” features
- News & Trailers: curated updates and first looks
- Lifestyle: horror-themed books, home decor, and more
Design & UX
The blog’s design was created to feel clean and professional while still embracing the aesthetic of horror culture.
- Wireframes & Layouts: Built wireframes in Figma to establish a structure for the homepage, category pages, and blog posts.
- Theme Customization: Selected a fast, mobile-friendly WordPress theme and tailored it with a dark, minimal color palette and custom branding.
- Mobile Optimization: Prioritized responsive design for a smooth experience on smartphones and tablets.
- Accessibility: Ensured readability with clear fonts, strong contrast, and proper image alt tags.
Content Development
- Keyword Research: Focused on high-interest search terms such as “horror movies like X,” “underrated horror shows,” and “best horror movies on [platform].”
- SEO Structure: Used on-page best practices including keyword-rich headings, internal linking, and optimized meta descriptions.
- Tone & Style: Casual, honest, and informed—written in first person to connect with fellow fans.
- Visual Design: Created branded graphics in Canva for blog headers, Pinterest pins, and social media promotions.
Marketing & Promotion
- Instagram Launch: Started @thehorrorguide to promote posts, recommend quick picks, and engage with the horror community.
- Pinterest SEO: Designed vertical, keyword-targeted pins to drive traffic from seasonal search trends.
- Email Setup: Planning for a newsletter featuring monthly watchlists and exclusive recs.
- Analytics: Implemented Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor traffic, user behavior, and keyword performance.
Early Results
- Published 10+ blog posts in the first month
- Doubled average page views from launch week to Week 4
- Reached 100 Instagram followers in two weeks
- Top Pinterest pin earned over 2,500 views
- Achieved first-page rankings for several target keywords
Lessons Learned
- Combining strong branding, thoughtful UX, and consistent publishing is key to early growth
- Writing in a relatable voice helped build trust with readers faster than expected
- A niche blog is one of the best ways to demonstrate full-cycle digital marketing skills in a single project
Next Steps
- Launch a newsletter with curated horror picks
- Add monetization through affiliate links and digital products
- Collaborate with other horror creators and bloggers
- Explore short-form video content for YouTube and TikTok
