eBay looks to Google to make money with Skype
Yesterday Google announced that they’ll introduce a feature that allows users to talk to advertisers via Skype, instead of just clicking over to an advertiser’s website. The feature will be called click-to-call and will also have the option of using Google Talk or standard telephones.
Early tests indicate that there are some advertisers, including mortgage brokers, who are willing to pay $8 to $15 for each call from a web searcher. That’s about ten times what they’ll pay for just a click. The Google-eBay deal says that the money paid by advertisers will be split between the two companies, although the proportion was not disclosed.
Most tests so far are focused on calling using regular phones, not services like Skype. eStara, a company that provides pay-per-call advertising technology to companies including Verizon’s SuperPages.com unit, offers both telephone and PC calling options.