Fergie's Tech Blog

Google Tests Terrain for 'Pay-Per-Call' Ads

A New York Times article by Bob Tedeschi, via The International Herald Tribune, reports that:

Google is going 20th century.

The company, whose empire is based on its ability to connect people and businesses through computers, is now connecting them the old-fashioned way - over the phone.

Starting late last year, the site began showing green phone icons next to selected advertisements that appear with search results. When the icon is clicked, the user is prompted to enter his or her phone number. The phone will then ring, with the business on the other end of the line (dial-up users would have to disconnect from the Internet first).

Google is not charging marketers for the service yet, but analysts say it is a sure bet the company will, thereby ushering in the era of "pay-per-call" advertising in earnest.

posted by Fergie @ 2/28/2006 07:08:00 AM