Eagle eyed searchers may have begun to notice small phone icons popping up next to search results on Google. That's because Google is now testing click-to-call offerings that will allow advertisers to bid on how much they are willing to pay for every phone call that Google delivers rather than paying for every click. This is good news for small business owners that don't have the time or money to build and market a web site.

From the Google Click-to-Call FAQ:

Here's how it works: When you click the phone icon, you can enter your phone number. Once you click 'Connect For Free,' Google calls the number you provided. When you pick up, you hear ringing on the other end as Google connects you to the other party.

We won't share your telephone number with anyone, including the advertiser. When you're connected with the advertiser, your number is blocked so the advertiser can't see it. In addition, we'll delete the number from our servers after a short period of time.

The move comes on the heels of AOL's earlier decision to run pay-per-call ads provided by Ingenio and as the entire industry has a shift in focus toward local search and small business solutions. I'll be interested to see how it goes since Google seems to be relying on a system that is closer to A9's click to call than Ingenio's pay-per-call. There are still obvious issues with fraud monitoring and the fact that Google requires users to enter a phone number and then calls them leaves the door wide open for pranksters.

Good discussion of this is going on over at Webmaster World.