Talk is cheap, especially for pay per click advertisers currently running a Google AdWords campaign. The search portal has introduced a new click to call service, integrating one of the most successful forms of online marketing with the humble telephone.

Connecting advertiser and client for free via an advanced pay per click advert, click to call is currently in the testing stages but looks set to revolutionise the way businesses sell online.

Pay per click management consultancy, Top Position has been trialling the buffed up pay per click adverts for several weeks. “Under the normal terms of pay per click, the advertiser pays when a client clicks on their advert," says managing director Daniel Jupp.

“They are then sent through to the company web site and from there, can fill in a contact form, purchase online or call the company directly. With click to call, the person searching for your products and services can speak to you, for free, at the touch of a button.

“It’s the next generation of pay per click advertising and could change the way savvy companies sell their products."

More than 150,000 advertisers currently use Google AdWords as the lynchpin of their online marketing strategy, lured by the promise of reaching clients at the exact moment in which they are searching for related products or services. Click to call is an attempt to take this immediacy even further, connecting supplier and consumer directly from the search results page.

The advert appears the same as it normally would, with the addition of a small phone icon. The user clicks on the icon and is invited to enter their phone number. After clicking on 'Connect For Free,' Google calls the number provided. The phone rings, the client picks up and then hears ringing on the other end as Google connects to the PPC advertiser. When they answer, both parties talk normally as they would with any other call.

“If it takes off, click to call advertising could be a viable alternative to employing call centre and telesales methods – especially for smaller to medium sized businesses," says Daniel Jupp of Top Position.co.uk. “The scope for applying this kind of technology is enormous."

Google has so far rolled out limited click to call trials in the UK, USA and Germany. It reports mixed results in the UK and USA with a big drop off in the number of users clicking on the ad and the number of users actually making the call.

Building and construction equipment company Survequip is one of a number of firms testing click to call with Top Position. “It’s very early days for us with click to call, we’ve been running it for about three weeks but already we’re getting regular calls," says the company’s Chris McNicholl. “Our conversion rates are also good, we’re converting the calls into sales at such a rate that the campaign is paying for itself."

“The feedback that we’ve had from calls has been positive. The fact that the internet user can put their details in and speak to someone straight away often comes as a surprise – they’re quite shocked that their request is dealt with immediately."

Google are following their click to call beta with a comparative tracking number test. The search engine wants to asses the user response to being given a uniquely assigned number rather than being automatically connected as in the first generation of trials.

This time around, the advertiser pays for the ad to expand so the user can see the tracking number.

“It’ll be interesting to see how the second tests compare," says Daniel Jupp. “One of the wrinkles that Google are hoping to iron out is the drop off in clicks against actual calls. Although the system needs a few refinements, the basic principles herald the beginning of a very exciting period for advertisers and sales professionals."

Daniel Jupp is the founder and managing director of pay per click management consultancy, Top Position “A Top Regional Digital Agency" – Revolution Magazine Oct 2006 For more information: www.topposition.co.uk