Google’s Got Click-To-Call
Google now has click-to-call advertising, apparently. Frankly, click-to-call always seemed so low-tech and intrusive to me.
For the uninitiated, in a click-to-call ad, the ad landing page asks for your phone number, then calls you and connects you with the advertiser.
I’ve never liked the idea. Why would I want to interrupt whatever I’m doing on the internet to talk to some moron phone operator? When was the last time I enjoyed talking on the phone to any company representative? I’m content with web pages and email, thank you very much. Well, its there if you want it…
And, as some smart people have pointed out, the system breaks the instant you work behind a phone system. It just seems silly and so ten years ago. Why don’t we just do click-to-fax?
(via Slashdot)
This is awesome for smaller retailers and companies that don’t have complicated phone systems to navigate. Think of what you are doing while clicking on a click-to-call ad, you’re trying to buy something you saw advertised, or at the very least get more info on it. This is the yellow pages on steroids. Oh and as for it breaking phone systems? Good!! If you don’t answer the phone maybe the next link down the page will and bye-bye sale.
Comment by Easyfrag | November 24, 2005
Sorting matters by phone is much faster and more efficient than email. It may also act as a base for integration with Google Talk.
Comment by Paul | November 24, 2005
I would have much rather preferred a “click to email” where your address is hidden from the company via some Google/gmail proxy. Imagine if they combined this with auctions though.
Comment by Tony | November 24, 2005
Retailers / AdWords advertisers get a non-anonymous and qualified lead instead of anonymous lead. Usually advertisers will pay more for such a lead and it means more buck$ for google.
Comment by Atul Arora | November 24, 2005
Any idea on what it costs the advertiser?
Comment by Utills | November 24, 2005
Easyfrag & Atul: No one’s denying this isn’t good for the advertisers, I just find it annoying for web surfers. I hate doing business with phone representatives. They are beyond annoying and rarely competent.
As for breaking phone systems, I meant for the end user. If I’m at work, I can’t use this system, since you have to dial an extension to get through to me. What good is this system for Google if an interested person can’t use it?
Paul, phone is good for sorting matters, not for customer service. It’s decent for sales, but only for small enough companies where a human who works there answers the phone. And if it used Google Talk, it would be a lot more useful.
Tony: MUCH SMARTER
Utills: Probably uses the standard bid system.
I feel like click-to-call is hopelessly mired in the past. We are moving to a system that works for this day and age and Google owns that system, and it should be moving only forward, not backward.
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | November 25, 2005
see my blog from San Francisco where we discuss Google’s offer of Free WiFi (interesting…) to the city for a defacto Yellow Pages Franchise
It’s the new Business Model for capturing Yellow Pages and Local Newspaper Advertising
This Click-to-Call is part of that strategy to capture small local business advertising (like your local Deli) which are currently speading their local ad dollars on NewsPaper Display Ads and Yellow Pages (for which their value is hard to measure, unlike paying for leads with click to call - good for consumers, bad for local newspapers and local yellow pages, potentially bad for community businesses competing with nationwide chains, bad for local government with local ad spending now going to google, vs local ad jobs)
http://www.webnetic.net/2005/11/why_should_you_care_if_google.html
Comment by Kimo Crossman | November 25, 2005