I'd avoided writing much about the speculated launch of Google Checkout because, quite honestly, it didn't seem to have to much to do with small business related search marketing. For the most part, I think that's still true...but the reality is that there's an interesting tie-in with Google AdWords ads that may make this something worth considering. Google will begin displaying a small shopping cart icon next to AdWords advertisers that accept Google Checkout. They'll also be offering up a $10 credit toward processing fees for every $1 a business spends on AdWords advertising. That means that many AdWords advertisers will be able to offer up Google Checkout without incurring any additional costs. It could also serve as an extra selling point in a Google AdWords listing if the idea of Google Checkout takes off with consumers.

It's important to note that the system isn't a PayPal competitor...it won't actually handle any of the money that's being passed back and forth. Instead, it simply works by storing your credit card information so that you don't have to submit it to multiple companies.