Chicago is the 3rd-largest metro area in America. Advertising here is not cheap, especially for small businesses. However, running ads in Chicago doesn’t have to be expensive when you leverage platforms like Google, Bing, Facebook, and Instagram. Below, we’ll share valuable PPC tips for small businesses in Chicago to help you grow your business to new heights.
Tip #1: Naming Your Local Campaigns
For Google Ads and Bing Ads, you’ll want to strategically name your campaigns based on the service or product category, location, network, and strategy. Below are examples of campaign naming conventions for plumbing services:
- 01-SC-EN-Chicago_HydePark_Plumbing_Emergency
- 01-DNC-EN-Chicago_LincolnPark_Plumbing_Emergency
- 01-PMSC-EN-Chicago_Ravenswood_Plumbing_Emergency
- 01-DGSC-EN-Chicago_WickerPark_Plumbing_Emergency
- 02-SC-EN-Chicago_HydePark_Water_Heater_Repair
- 02-DNC-EN-Chicago_LincolnPark_Water_Heater_Repair
- 02-PMSC-EN-Chicago_Ravenswood_Water_Heater_Repair
- 02-DGSC-EN-Chicago_WickerPark_Water_Heater_Repair
- 03-SC-EN-Chicago_HydePark_Drain_Cleaning
- 03-DNC-EN-Chicago_LincolnPark_Drain_Cleaning
- 03-PMSC-EN-Chicago_Ravenswood_Drain_Cleaning
- 03-DGSC-EN-Chicago_WickerPark_Drain_Cleaning
The first numbers (01, 02, 03, etc.) should be categorized by level of importance or revenue potential. In the examples above, 01 is the highest priority because plumbing emergencies are financially rewarding and of utmost importance. 02 is assigned to water heater repair, and 03 is for drain cleaning. After number categorization, it’s important to identify the campaign type by using acronyms like SC for “search campaign”, DNC for “display network campaign”, PMSC for “performance max search campaign”, and DGSC for “demand generation search campaign”.
Next, we include a language targeting code, with “EN” representing English. This is followed by the city and neighborhood—Chicago Hyde Park, Chicago Lincoln Park, Chicago Ravenswood, and Chicago Wicker Park. Finally, we specify the service or product category: plumbing emergencies, water heater repair, and drain cleaning.
Tip #2: Naming Your Ad Groups
Naming your ad group is the next logical step. To start, you’ll want to name your ad groups by match type, which can be Exact Match, Phrase Match, and Broad Match. By following this organization, you’ll have full control and visibility into which match types are driving the lowest possible CPCs. As a result, you can determine which match types deliver the best ROIs and turn off the ones that become too expensive. This structure is an excellent way to manage costs during critical times and peak seasons.
Next, you’ll want to name your ad groups by specific service category. For example, let’s name the ad groups for the following campaign: 01-SC-EN-Chicago_HydePark_Plumbing_Emergency
- Burst-Pipes-EM, Burst-Pipes-PM, Burst-Pipes-BM
- Sewer-Backups-EM, Sewer-Backups-PM, Sewer-Backups-BM
- Overflowing-Toilets-EM, Overflowing-Toilets-PM, Overflowing-Toilets-BM
- Gas-Leaks-EM, Gas-Leaks-PM, Gas-Leaks-BM
Tip #3: Keyword Research and Ad Group Matching
After you name your campaigns and ad groups, the next step is researching high-intent and mid-intent keywords based on the categorization of the campaign and the ad group. For example, if the search campaign is 01-SC-EN-Chicago_HydePark_Plumbing_Emergency and the ad group is Burst-Pipes-EM, then all your keywords should be in brackets [Exact Match] and should relate to burst pipe emergencies in the Hyde Park area of Chicago. Here are a few Exact Match keywords to consider for this ad group.
- [burst pipe repair]
- [burst pipe repair near me]
- [burst pipe repair hyde park chicago]
- [burst water pipe repair]
- [24 hour burst pipe repair]
- [broken pipe repair]
- [hyde park emergency plumber burst pipe]
- [burst pipe repair hyde park]
Here is what the same keywords will look like when using Phrase Match instead. Instead of brackets, we use quotation marks:
- “burst pipe repair”
- “burst pipe repair near me”
- “burst pipe repair hyde park chicago”
- “burst water pipe repair”
- “24 hour burst pipe repair”
- “broken pipe repair”
- “hyde park emergency plumber burst pipe”
- “burst pipe repair hyde park”
With Broad Match, the same keywords don’t need brackets or quotation marks. They are entered exactly as written:
- burst pipe repair
- burst pipe repair near me
- burst pipe repair hyde park chicago
- burst water pipe repair
- 24 hour burst pipe repair
- broken pipe repair
- hyde park emergency plumber burst pipe
- burst pipe repair hyde park
It’s good practice to use no more than 10 to 20 keywords in each ad group. You’ll want to mix both high-intent and mid-funnel keywords to get a strong return on investment and to support search discovery.
Tip #4: Use Chicago-Specific Geo-Targeting ZIP Codes
Targeting by ZIP codes will help you lower CPCs and improve relevance. Chicago is a large city with many distinct neighborhoods, so it’s better to use specific ZIP codes for areas like Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, Ravenswood, and Wicker Park. You can easily do this by going into your campaign settings, clicking on Locations, choosing Enter another location, switching to Advanced Search, and entering your ZIP codes. Add multiple ZIP codes at once and save.
For example, if you are targeting the Hyde Park area, you can quickly find the correct ZIP codes by searching online for “Hyde Park Chicago ZIP codes.” Here are the ZIP codes for Hyde Park: 60615 and 60637. Do the same for every neighborhood you are targeting, such as Lincoln Park, Ravenswood, and Wicker Park.
Tip #5: Use Assets for Additional Pieces of Information
Google Ads assets provide valuable supporting information that can be easily added to enhance Search, Display, Video, Demand Gen, Performance Max, and any other Google Ads campaign. For example, sticking with the Hyde Park plumbing emergency campaign, you can use a Call Asset to display a phone number directly in the SERP. That phone number must be verified and also visible on your website.
Other assets, such as Sitelinks, can enrich the campaign by directing users to specific landing pages, such as a Burst Pipe Repair page, Sewer Backup page, Overflowing Toilets page, or Gas Leak Repair page. By including these sitelinks, your campaign provides additional resources that help customers quickly access more information about the exact service they need.
Additional assets, like a Price Asset, showcase the price range of your products and services in an interactive and scrollable format that attracts more qualified customers. Callout Assets are short, non-clickable text snippets that highlight key selling points and features, such as “Get a Free Quote on Plumbing.” Promotion Assets are also helpful when companies want to highlight sales or special offers to encourage customers to take action during promotional periods.
Tip #6: Run Ads During Chicago’s Peak Search Hours
To find Chicago’s peak search hours, use Google Ads, GA4, Salesforce, and Looker Studio. In Google Ads, segment performance by “hour of day” under Insights & Reports → When and where ads showed. Add metrics such as Clicks, CTR, CPC, Conversions, and Conversion Rate to identify which hours consistently generate the best results.
You can also create a custom report using the Report Editor to break down data by both day of the week and hour of the day. GA4 and Salesforce can confirm which times produce high-quality leads and closed-won customers, giving you confidence in when to bid aggressively.
Once you identify your peak times, set up Ad Scheduling. Click on Ad schedule and choose specific days and hours. For example, if your Chicago business is open Monday–Friday from 8 AM to 7 PM, you can schedule ads to run only during those hours. If data shows strong performance on Wednesdays from 2 PM to 5 PM, increase bids during that window by 5–15%. Likewise, reduce bids during weaker periods, such as weekends or late evenings. Using hourly performance data ensures your budget goes toward the hours when Chicago customers are most likely to search and convert.
Tip #7: Use and Create Ads for Mobile Devices
Most service customers—especially plumbing—search from their phones. Because of that, you need a mobile-friendly website and landing pages with clear icons, big clickable buttons, and a visible phone number. It also makes sense to increase your bids on mobile devices, since mobile usually drives the most “plumber near me” searches.
To adjust bidding by device, select your campaign and go to “When and where ads showed” under Insights and Reports. Then click Devices to see performance for Mobile Phones, Computers, and Tablets along with KPIs like Clicks, Impressions, CTR, Avg CPC, and Conversions. Filter the data by at least 90 days to see which devices are performing best.
If mobile phones are driving the most clicks and conversions, increase your mobile bids. For example, adding a 75% adjustment turns a $10 bid into $17.50. You can also lower tablet bids if they’re bringing in higher CPAs or even decrease them by 100% if you don’t want to spend any budget there. For computers, lowering bids by around 15% can help shift more budget toward mobile. Overall, mobile tends to outperform desktop and tablets for local service searches, so prioritizing mobile bidding usually leads to better results.
Prioritizing these PPC tips for small businesses in Chicago can improve the quality scores of your ads with writing headlines like “Call Now” and “Speak to a Professional Today” to really make your advertising campaign stand out. Most importantly, your campaign will be featured in higher impression shares for mobile devices compared to your customers.
Tip #8: Set Up and Use Google Local Service Ads (LSAs)
LSAs are one of the best PPC tips for small local service businesses in Chicago to get leads because they show at the very top of Google—above organic results and even above regular Google Ads. The best part is that you only pay when someone calls or messages you through the ad. Clicks don’t cost anything.
To get started, check if your business type and location qualify on the Google Local Services Ads website. If you’re eligible, you’ll go through a quick screening and verification process. Once you pass, your business becomes “Google Guaranteed,” and you’ll receive the badge.
Next, make sure your Google Business Profile is set up and accurate with your name, address, hours, and services. LSAs don’t use keywords, so you simply choose a weekly or monthly budget based on how many leads you want. When your budget is reached, your ads stop. Finally, fill out your service areas (the ZIP codes or neighborhoods you cover) and the job types you offer—like drain cleaning, gas leaks, or whatever services you want to advertise.
Tip #9: Leverage Social Proof
One of the biggest PPC tips for small businesses in Chicago is to leverage social proof. This strategy has been a consistent selling point for many small businesses across the United States. Customers are more likely to choose a local business when it has strong Google star ratings, Facebook reviews, website testimonials, and high aggregated ratings from multiple platforms. Many people will leave a bad review faster than a good one, so delivering great service is critical for building trust.
When a small business has excellent ratings and reviews, new customers feel more confident choosing them compared to a business with poor or limited reviews. To really show social proof, your business should focus on exceeding expectations and maintaining strong reviews on Google My Business, your Facebook Business Profile, and your website.
After that, you can use social proof directly in your ad copy. For example, if your small business in Chicago has over 1,000 Google reviews with a rating of 4.8, it’s important to highlight this in your headlines:
- Rated 4.8 ★★★★★ in Hyde Park
- Trusted by Over 1,000 Customers
You can also add a sitelink to your Facebook Business Profile or reviews page, which adds even more credibility and validation to your small business.
Best PPC Tips for Small Businesses in Chicago
The best PPC tips for small businesses in Chicago is to keep testing. Test new headlines with product features, benefits, ratings, and rich keywords to improve CTR and the quality score of your PPC ads. Next, test new descriptions with more details, promotions, and keywords you plan to target. Continue improving the overall user experience and conversion rate optimization on your website and landing pages. And finally, don’t hesitate to reach out to Google Support for guidance and recommendations that can help your business grow.
If your small business in Chicago is feeling overwhelmed with PPC, reach out to My Digital Marketing Help for a free consultation. We’ve helped many small to large businesses across the Chicagoland area with PPC advertising in Google and Bing. We work with any budget by starting with a PPC audit to evaluate your business and your competitors. If you’re looking to work with a small agency that specializes in PPC advertising in Chicago, feel free to book a call with My Digital Marketing Help today.
