Findwhat.com Launches Pay-Per-Call

Introducing Pay‑Per‑Call: A New Advertising Paradigm

FindWhat.com has just broadened its advertising toolkit with the launch of Pay‑Per‑Call, a service that lets businesses reach potential customers by phone rather than by clicking a link. The move follows the company’s earlier success with pay‑per‑click (PPC) campaigns and marks a significant shift toward performance‑based marketing that can serve both online and offline retailers.

What makes Pay‑Per‑Call stand out is its focus on calls rather than clicks. In a PPC campaign, a marketer pays each time a user clicks an ad and is taken to a website. Pay‑Per‑Call flips that model: the advertiser pays only when a consumer dials the toll‑free number embedded in the ad and is connected to the business. That single difference means that businesses that do not own a website, or that prefer phone sales over web sales, can now tap into the same traffic pools that drive online traffic for e‑commerce sites.

FindWhat.com’s new service is available through its PPC2 platform, the same system that powers its PPC campaigns. The partnership that powers the technology behind Pay‑Per‑Call is Ingenio, Inc., a company that specializes in call‑tracking and routing. Ingenio’s software ensures that every call is accurately logged and forwarded to the advertiser’s own line, while keeping the toll‑free number anonymous to the consumer. This protects customer privacy and gives advertisers real‑time insight into call volume and conversion rates.

The pricing model remains familiar to PPC users. Advertisers set a bid for a category of products or services, and FindWhat.com displays the highest‑bid ads first. The twist is that bids are placed on categories - such as “plumbing” or “car repair” - instead of on keywords. That lets small, local shops target the exact audience they serve without having to research long lists of keywords. In addition, advertisers can specify the geographic reach of each ad, from a single city up to the national level, using a simple toggle in the campaign setup screen.

Craig Pisaris‑Henderson, FindWhat.com’s CEO, explains how the company’s business model has evolved over the past six years. “Our marketplace was built to match buyers with sellers at the exact moment they were looking for something,” he said. “Pay‑Per‑Call extends that model to a much wider audience, including offline businesses that may never have had an online presence. We’re opening the door for more sellers to profit from the huge volume of search traffic that passes through our network.”

According to research, the potential market is massive. Statistical Research, Inc. reported that 57 % of internet users search online daily. Meanwhile, Jupiter Research noted that 30 % of online users made a purchase in 2004, with projections of 50 % buying online by 2008. With 186 million U.S. internet users (Computer Industry Almanac), the pool of consumers who might turn to a phone call instead of a web checkout is substantial. And there are about 14 million small‑to‑mid‑sized businesses in the United States - almost all of which lack a robust e‑commerce platform. For these companies, Pay‑Per‑Call offers a way to compete with online retailers without investing in a full‑blown website.

Beyond its financial appeal, Pay‑Per‑Call provides a level of immediacy that can be difficult to match online. When a customer dials the toll‑free number, the call is routed to the business’s local line within seconds. The company can answer the call on the spot, answer questions, and close the sale. For many service‑based businesses - such as HVAC technicians, auto repair shops, or dental practices - the ability to connect instantly with a qualified lead can mean the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.

FindWhat.com supports this model with a full‑service account structure that lets advertisers manage campaigns without a website. Once an advertiser signs up, they receive a toll‑free number and can set up bids through a telephone‑based system. The platform tracks every call and provides detailed reports that show which categories and geographic zones are generating the most activity. Advertisers can adjust their bids and geographic settings on the fly, ensuring that the campaign remains aligned with business goals and market trends.

Rick Szatkowski, SVP/GM of FindWhat.com Network/Private Label, points out the strategic advantage for local merchants. “There are about 14 million small‑to‑mid‑sized businesses in the U.S. that likely cannot benefit from pay‑per‑click because they don’t have an e‑commerce website,” he said. “Pay‑Per‑Call gives them a cost‑effective way to reach online consumers. By paying only for a phone call or a lead, these businesses can expand their advertising reach without a heavy upfront investment.”

In a landscape where online advertising often feels like a game of numbers, Pay‑Per‑Call brings a human touch back to the equation. It allows businesses to meet consumers where they are - on the internet - but to convert that interest into a direct conversation. The result is a win‑win: advertisers pay for actual engagement, while consumers get immediate answers to their questions.

How Pay‑Per‑Call Works and Why It Matters

Pay‑Per‑Call is built around three core steps: ad creation, bid placement, and call routing. The process is straightforward, but each step is designed to maximize relevance and conversion.

First, advertisers craft an ad that speaks directly to their target audience. Unlike PPC ads that rely heavily on keywords, Pay‑Per‑Call ads emphasize the service or product and the toll‑free number that consumers can call. Because the ad appears in search results, the language must be clear and concise: “Need a plumber? Call 1‑800‑HOME‑PLUM.” The call to action is explicit, and the number is front and center, ensuring that users see exactly what to do.

Second, advertisers place a bid on the category that best describes their business. For instance, a landscaper might bid on “landscape design,” while a locksmith could bid on “emergency lockout.” The bidding process is similar to PPC, with higher bids appearing first in the search results. Advertisers can also set geographic boundaries - such as a 20‑mile radius around a city or the entire state - so that only users within that area see the ad. This level of targeting helps keep costs down and increases the likelihood of a successful conversion.

Finally, when a consumer clicks on the ad, the system presents the toll‑free number. If the user dials the number, Ingenio’s routing engine connects the call to the advertiser’s local phone line in real time. The call is logged in the FindWhat.com dashboard, and the advertiser is charged only after the call ends. This model eliminates wasted spend on clicks that do not lead to actual engagement.

Because the ad is placed in search results, it reaches users when they are actively seeking a service. That context can translate into higher conversion rates than general display ads, which often suffer from lower relevance. In the early studies of Pay‑Per‑Call, conversion rates climbed as high as 12 % for local businesses, compared with typical PPC rates of around 5 % to 7 %. Those numbers illustrate how the immediacy of a phone call can close the gap between interest and purchase.

Another advantage of Pay‑Per‑Call is the ability to gather valuable data. Every call is time‑stamped, and call duration can indicate how engaged a customer is. The platform also tracks which geographic regions generate the most activity, allowing advertisers to adjust bids and even add new categories if they discover a niche demand. For businesses that do not have a website, the data from Pay‑Per‑Call can serve as the first step toward an online presence. For example, a local HVAC shop that sees a surge of calls from a particular ZIP code might consider building a small landing page to capture additional leads.

The integration with Ingenio’s technology also brings advanced call‑tracking features. Call recordings can be stored for quality assurance, and call analytics can be used to train staff or improve scripts. For larger advertisers who run multiple campaigns, the data can be exported to their own CRM systems, ensuring a seamless flow from ad to customer relationship management.

Because Pay‑Per‑Call only charges when a call is made, advertisers can set a strict budget that aligns with their marketing spend. If an ad is not generating calls, the advertiser can pause the campaign or lower the bid without incurring additional cost. That flexibility is especially valuable for small businesses that must manage tight cash flows.

FindWhat.com’s launch of Pay‑Per‑Call also signals a shift in the broader digital marketing ecosystem. As consumers increasingly rely on mobile devices for search, the need for immediate, actionable results grows. Pay‑Per‑Call capitalizes on this trend by offering a bridge between online intent and offline execution.

For many businesses, the biggest hurdle to online advertising is the cost and complexity of building a website. Pay‑Per‑Call removes that barrier, allowing a merchant to participate in a pay‑for‑performance model without the overhead of a digital storefront. In a market where 14 million small‑to‑mid‑sized businesses struggle to keep up with e‑commerce trends, this new service offers a practical alternative that can deliver measurable returns.

Ultimately, Pay‑Per‑Call demonstrates that performance marketing can evolve beyond clicks. By tying payment directly to a human conversation, advertisers can ensure that every dollar spent leads to a potential sale. For consumers, it offers a clear, immediate route to the information or service they need. The synergy between online intent and offline action is the future of local advertising, and FindWhat.com’s Pay‑Per‑Call service brings that future to businesses ready to make the leap.