http://www.newsvend.com - Google is thought to have developed a one-click payment option for online news providers who would like to charge for their content.

The reports, which were first made in Italian newspapers, claim that the search engine will introduce options for news publishers to charge web users with different access option – from one-off payments to long-term subscriptions.

Such a service would help to add weight to the argument in favour of paywalls for online news content and would allow websites to make money from their unique content. Google says it has no announcement to make yet.