How to get a pottery studio found on Google
challenge Musgo has a 5.0 rating on Google, but only 9 reviews, no website and the wrong category on its business profile. People searching for “pottery classes Curitiba” barely find it. I ran the diagnosis, read what Google, specialists and researchers say about local search, and put together a 90-day plan. I used AI to support the research and checked the data and sources myself.
1. Where the studio stands today
| Item | Status | Why it hurts |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Mercês | The studio presents itself as “downtown”, but Google lists it in Mercês. Searches with “downtown” don't match the address. |
| Category | Art studio | It's the strongest map ranking factor. People looking for classes don't search for “art studio”. |
| Reviews | 5.0 · 9 reviews | Far below competitors in the area. |
| Phone and website | Not listed | No “Call” button and no page of its own to show up in regular search. |
| Opening hours | Class times only | The rest of the week Maps shows “Closed”, and being open at the time of the search counts. |
| 524 followers, bio “Pottery school” | Doesn't show up on Google by name and isn't linked to the business profile. |
| Studio | Neighborhood | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ateliê Art.Ron Cerâmica Artesanal | Centro Cívico | 5.0 | 203 |
| Estúdio Ceramina | Rebouças | 4.9 | 39 |
| Mosca Ateliê e Escola de Cerâmica | Mercês | 4.9 | 36 |
| Ateliê de Cerâmica Hopfer | Rebouças | 4.9 | 19 |
| Musgo Ateliê | Mercês | 5.0 | 9 |
2. What I based it on
Google's own rules. Google says local results depend on relevance (how well the profile matches the search), distance and prominence (how well known the business is, through reviews, links and press). Distance can't be changed. The other two can, and that's where Musgo is weak.
Expert survey. Whitespark's Local Search Ranking Factors 2026 asked 47 specialists about 187 factors. The ones that weigh most on the map:
| Rank | Factor | For Musgo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary business category | Switch “art studio” to a pottery classes category |
| 3 | Keyword in the business name | Only if the real name changes, or the profile may be suspended |
| 5 | Open at the time of the search | List every real opening hour |
| 9 | Number of reviews with text | The biggest bottleneck today |
| 11 and 14 | Recent and steady reviews | Ask every month, not all at once |
Searcher behavior. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 adults, 97% said they read reviews of local businesses, and 31% only choose places rated 4.5 or higher.
Academic studies. Michael Luca, of Harvard Business School, matched restaurant data with Yelp and found 5% to 9% more revenue for each extra star, with a stronger effect on independent businesses like Musgo. I also used literature reviews by Lopezosa, Codina and Rovira (2023), Chen (2023) and Hidayah, Gaffar and Arief (2025) to organize the plan into keyword research, on-page optimization and off-site reputation.
Instagram. Since July 2025, public posts from professional accounts can appear on Google. According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, the text in the profile and caption is the strongest signal in the app's search. Hashtags help classify a post but barely increase reach.
3. Keywords by intent (sample, searched in Portuguese)
| Term | Intent | Where to use it | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| aula de cerâmica curitiba pottery class curitiba | Hire | Profile category and description, homepage title | High |
| aula de cerâmica para iniciantes curitiba beginner pottery class | Hire | Classes page and FAQ | High |
| aula de torno curitiba wheel throwing class | Hire | Dedicated wheel page | High |
| aula de cerâmica à noite curitiba evening pottery class | Hire | Classes page and posts (classes run until 10 p.m.) | High |
| workshop de cerâmica curitiba pottery workshop | One-off experience | Workshops page and profile events | High |
| presente experiência curitiba experience gift | Gift | Gift card, around holidays | Medium |
| quanto custa aula de cerâmica how much is a pottery class | Research | Blog post and carousel | Low |
Search volumes still need to be checked in Google Ads Keyword Planner. Priority came from purchase intent and competition on the map.
4. The plan
Google profile: change the primary category, add phone, services, description and real photos, and link Instagram to the profile.
Reviews: ask every student when they receive their first finished piece, by WhatsApp and with a QR code in the studio. The message suggests topics (which class, how the group was, a photo of the piece) instead of ready-made text, and offers nothing in return, as Google's rules require.
Website: one page per service, with titles and image alt text, local business structured data and the same contact details as the profile.
Instagram: “Pottery Classes” in the profile name, neighborhood and differentiator in the bio, the search term in the first line of each caption, alt text on photos and location on every post.
Local mentions: story pitches for Curitiba press, listings on Apple Maps and Bing Places, and workshops published on Sympla.
5. How to measure it in 90 days
| Metric | Where to check | Today | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google reviews | Business profile | 9 | 25+ |
| Searches that showed the profile | Performance dashboard | To be measured | +50% |
| Direction, call and website clicks | Performance dashboard | To be measured | +50% |
| Rank for “aula de cerâmica curitiba” | Search from downtown | Outside top 3 | Top 3 within 1–2 km |
| Instagram posts on Google | Search site:instagram.com/musgo_atelie | None | First posts indexed |
Sources: Google Business Profile Help · Google guidelines · Whitespark 2026 · BrightLocal 2026 · Luca (Harvard) · Lopezosa, Codina and Rovira (2023) · Hidayah, Gaffar and Arief (2025) · Chen (2023) · Search Engine Journal (Mosseri) · Metricool · Google Maps data from Oct 15, 2026.