“Dear AdWords Advertiser,

We’re pleased to announce that beginning in January, your location-specific business phone number will display alongside your destination url in ads that appear on high-end mobile devices. Users will be able to click-to-call your business just as easily as they click to visit your website. You’ll be charged for clicks to call, same as you are for clicks to visit your website.

How will phone numbers appear in my ads?

Based on the customer’s geographic location, the phone number and closest business address will appear as a fifth line of ad text when the ad appears on mobile devices with full HTML browsers (e.g. iPhone, Android, Palm WebOS).

Where will I be able to see the results?

At launch, you’ll be able to view calls from your ads on your Campaign Summary page within AdWords from the “click type” segment option under the “Filter and Views” drop down.

How will I be charged for phone calls I get from my ad?

The cost of a click to call your business will be the same as the cost of a click to visit your website.

What actions should I take?

If you’d like your ads to show location-specific phone numbers when displayed on mobile devices, make sure that your campaign is targeting iPhones and other mobile devices with full HTML browsers, and that you have included phone numbers with your business addresses in the locations under your Campaign settings.

If you would prefer your ads not show phone numbers, simply remove the phone number from the business listings included in your campaigns targeting mobile devices.

We hope this new feature enables you to connect more easily with your potential customers. If you have any questions or feedback, please email us at ctc-feedback@google.com.

Sincerely,

The Google AdWords Team”

What does this mean for Google? They can strong arm the local search market by acquiring Yelp, and snag an additional 25 million monthly unique visitors! Now this will add to Google’s recent aggressive push towards their own Business Local product, and “Favorite Places on Google” which will allow businesses (Who are verified) to place Google’s branded sticker on their store-front window. Take a look at this below:

….hmmm…that means you will see huge changes in the coming year with mobile search becoming ever more critical, especially local search.  With Google announcing last week the purchase of AdMob , you would have to have half a brain not to see where marketing is heading in 2010 & beyond.

My internet marketing company has always focused on leveraging the power of standard search engines, but what we see happening now is a major shift in tactic.

With native, and non-native apps within these phones, there are pipelines to 100’s of businesses now geographically targeted based on your location.
For example lets say I want to go see a movie, after the movie I want to go eat some grub.  On my iPhone, I first see what’s playing so I click the “Flixster” app to find out the nearest theater to me. After the movie I can click the Flixster app again to find out restaurants nearby and bam! Local restaurants right there! (Pictures below)

How did these restaurants get in there, and other apps such as “Foursqaure” “UrbanSpoon ” (Example of NC) and others? There lies the change, smartphone optimization! Yes local search engine optimization is ever more critical because many of these applications now aggregate information directly from the engines.  On a related note! I am actually teaching a class in my hometown on “How To Get Your Business Listed In Local Search ” and this will be a highlight no doubt. 2010 should be loads of fun for the field of search marketing, and social media, so lets stay tuned!

Example of Flixster Application:

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  Do you think it will last? Will they really challenge Google?  I have my thoughts, but please, I want to hear yours!

Feel free to leave an audio or video comment.

Here is the live signing… It’s like when Lebron James signed to the Cavs!