Chicago → Richmond Migration
Exact changes to match Richmond's campaign structure
Chicago is closer to Richmond than any other market. It already runs Search-only (no PMax), already has 12 closet ad groups, and its Closet Campaign CPL ($212) is only $6 above Richmond's ($206). The gap is in Brand budget allocation (19.5% vs. 48%) and Broad match share (27.7% vs. 17.3%). Plus Chicago has a 2nd campaign (Whole House) that Richmond doesn't — and it's performing well at $102 CPL.
Unlike VB (which needed to kill PMax), Chicago already runs Search-only. The 2nd campaign (Whole House) covers product lines Richmond doesn't offer — wall beds, wall units, entertainment centers, garage storage, home offices, and mudrooms. It's performing at $102 CPL — the cheapest campaign in any market. Keep it.
| AD GROUP | SPEND | CONV | CPL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall Beds | $4,195 | 31.5 | $133 |
| Wall Units | $1,348 | 26.5 | $51 |
| Entertainment Centers | $545 | 2.2 | $248 |
| Garage Storage | $532 | 5.0 | $106 |
| Home Offices | $340 | 3.6 | $95 |
| Mudrooms | $317 | 2.2 | $141 |
NOTE
Richmond doesn't have a Whole House campaign because it doesn't market those product lines via Search. Chicago's Whole House campaign is an addition to the Richmond model, not a deviation from it. All optimization below focuses on the Closet Campaign only.
Chicago's keyword list is 90%+ aligned with Richmond. Only 5 keywords from Richmond are missing.
| AD GROUP | KEYWORD TO ADD | MATCH | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closet Cabinetry | built in cabinets | Exact | In Richmond, not in Chicago |
| Closet Design | closet design near me | Exact | $366 spend, 1.0 conv in Richmond |
| Closet Design | professional closet design | Exact | In Richmond, not in Chicago |
| Pantry Systems | best shelves for pantry | Exact | In Richmond, not in Chicago |
| Pantry Systems | pantry built ins | Exact | In Richmond, not in Chicago |
These keywords exist in Chicago's Closet Campaign but not in Richmond. Remove them to tighten the keyword set.
EXCEPTION: Keep Local Competitors
Chicago's Competitors ad group has 6 extra keywords not in Richmond: chicagoland custom closets, closet works, perfection custom closets, closet concepts, cal closets, tailored closet. These are Chicago-specific local competitors. Keep them — they're market-appropriate additions to the Richmond template.
| AD GROUP | KEYWORD TO REMOVE | REASON |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | closet factory showroom near me | Not in Richmond |
| Closet Cabinetry | built in closet cabinets | Not in Richmond — replaced by 'built in cabinets' |
| Closet Cabinetry | closet drawers and shelves | Not in Richmond |
| Closet Companies | custom closet company | Not in Richmond |
| Closet Designers | best closet designers | Not in Richmond — keep only 'closet designer' |
| Closet Designers | professional closet designer | Not in Richmond — keep only 'closet designer' |
| Closet Types | boutique closets | Not in Richmond |
| Closet Types | custom reach in closets | Not in Richmond |
| Closet Types | custom wood closet systems | Not in Richmond |
| Linen Closets | custom linen closet shelving | Not in Richmond |
| Luxury Closets | high end closets | Not in Richmond |
Chicago runs 27.7% Broad Match ($216 CPL). Richmond runs 17.3% Broad Match ($379 CPL). Chicago is closer than VB was (41.7%) but still needs to shift ~10% from Broad to Phrase.
| KEYWORD | AD GROUP | NOTE |
|---|---|---|
| "closet factory" | Brand | Richmond runs Phrase + Broad variants of brand term |
| "custom closets" | Closet Types | Capture phrase-level intent |
| "closet systems" | Closet Types | Capture phrase-level intent |
| "closet company" | Closet Companies | Capture phrase-level intent |
| "closet design" | Closet Design | Capture phrase-level intent |
| "closet remodel" | Closet Builders | Capture phrase-level intent |
| "built in cabinets" | Closet Cabinetry | Capture phrase-level intent |
| "california closets" | Competitors | Capture phrase-level intent |
| "closets by design" | Competitors | Capture phrase-level intent |
How this works:
Same mechanism as VB: adding Phrase match versions of top keywords causes Google to prioritize Phrase (more controlled) over Broad expansion. Chicago already has some Broad match keywords (closet works, california closets, chicagoland custom closets, etc.) which is good — but adding Phrase versions of the core terms will shift the distribution closer to Richmond's 15.6% Phrase / 17.3% Broad balance.
Chicago has 2,440 negatives — a massive superset of Richmond's 198. Only 2 Richmond negatives are missing from Chicago:
This is the single biggest change Chicago needs. Brand gets 19.5% of Closet Campaign spend but produces the cheapest conversions at $155 CPL. Richmond allocates 48% to Brand. Chicago's Brand CPL ($155) is even cheaper than Richmond's ($159) — it's underfunded.
Specific Budget Actions:
Increase Brand ad group budget to capture ~48% of Closet Campaign spend (up from 19.5%). At $155 CPL, every dollar moved to Brand produces more conversions than any other ad group.
Reduce Competitors budget share from 22.7% to ~8.3%. Competitors currently gets the most spend in Chicago ($35,112) but at $215 CPL — 39% more expensive than Brand. Richmond allocates only 8.3% to Competitors.
Reduce Closet Design from 10.5% to ~2.7%. At $249 CPL it's one of the most expensive ad groups. Richmond allocates only 2.7%.
Closet Designers (11.4%, $222 CPL) should drop to ~4.8%. Richmond's Closet Designers is much cheaper ($252 CPL) with less budget share.
Keep Whole House Campaign budget separate. It's performing at $102 CPL — don't touch it.
Data: Chicago Search Terms Report (Jan 2025 – Feb 2026, 48,453 rows) vs. Richmond Search Terms Report (Jan 2025 – Feb 2026, 22,695 rows)
Chicago Negative Keywords: 2,440 | Richmond Negative Keywords: 198 | Overlap: 99% (2 missing)