It was probably a relief for many businesses to see their phone numbers back in their 7 Pack local listings in the Google search results. What is Google up to now?

Here are a few possibilities:

• Google may be testing click through rates to both Maps listings and websites from the 7 Pack to see how behavior changes when searchers are not given a phone number to call. (IMO opinion, they want searchers to go to the Maps listings, not the website.
• They may have cleaned out phone numbers that no longer meet their listing guidelines by first removing all numbers and reinstituting only those that meet their new rules.
• They may have just been messing with us to see what kind of a reaction we would have.

The fact that the new flat rate local ads have a Google call tracking number may also give us a clue about what other changes we might expect in the 7 Pack.