Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are all jockeying to fill the position as the leader in the mobile search space. But what will it take to emerge as the winner?

Industry experts agree that mobile search cannot simply be a facsimile of desktop search, but has to take advantage of mobile-specific capabilities like location-based services and voice and image-recognition technology. Whichever mobile search provider can provide those services in a way most appealing to consumers could walk away with the prize.

 ?As the PC is an entirely different experience than the mobile phone, the search experience for mobile has to be built from the ground up, as one cannot simply take PC search and cram it onto a mobile screen ? it just doesn?t work,? said Zealous Wiley, director of corporate communications at Yahoo, Sunnyvale, CA. ?Mobile search needs to present information so it?s ready for any consumer, on any mobile device, across any carrier and geographical region.

?One of the challenges is building a search experience that?s meaningful to a user?s situation ? whether they?re on-the-go and looking for a specific answer or killing time in between a meeting or appointment,? he said. ?Both cases need to figure into the product?s ability to deliver relevant information and also allow the consumer to drill down further for additional results or information.

?Understanding the context of the query as well as user intent is much more important on mobile , [because] if the user doesn?t find the information relevant, they will likely have a less positive user experience and aren?t nearly as likely to try mobile search in the future.?

Google
Google, already the worldwide leader in online search, is looking to assert its dominance in the mobile space as well.

The search giant offers a number of tools, including a mobile-optimized Web browser and applications for a number of its services, including Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube.

Google says that it serves tens of millions of mobile users and hundreds of millions of searches each week.

Additionally, it claims mobile search volumes have grown by more than 500 percent, and at an accelerating pace, over the past two years.

The company is trying to gain a competiive advantage by capitalizing on the unique properties of mobile.

?Google's approach in mobile is to innovate around special capabilities of mobile devices to make the search experience easy, fast and useful,? said Steve Cheng, product management director for mobile search at Google, Mountain View, CA.

Three new features Google is focusing on are location-based, voice and image recognition search, and tactics the company has executed to try to gain a competitive edge include:

? A location-based search feature called ?Near Me Now,? for iPhone and Android platforms, which lets users browse through lists of nearby banks, restaurants and other business categories

? Google Maps Navigator, which enhances the Google Maps functionality by providing turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic rerouting

? Google Voice search, enabled in seven languages including English, Mandarin and Spanish

? Google Goggles, an image-recognition technology that lets users take pictures of objects with their mobile phones and generates information based on the photos

Microsoft
Microsoft, armed with its Bing search platform that includes mobile browsers and applications, is likewise making a concerted push in mobile.

?Mobile is an increasingly important space, and our mobile search strategy is focused on enabling customers to easily discover, access and use the information, answers and content they need and want, anytime, anywhere with the convenience of their mobile device,? said Lezli Goheen, spokeswoman for Microsoft, Redmond, WA.

The Bing mobile Web browser is available on most phones and Bing applications are available on Windows Mobile, iPhone, BlackBerry and Sidekick platforms.

?Our goal this year is to breakthrough in mobile,? Ms. Goheen said. ?Bing is committed to delivering a multi-platform mobile strategy ? rapidly evolving to better meet the needs of consumers.?

To meet that goal, Microsoft has recently launched a number of new or updated search platforms for mobile, including:

? An updated Bing application for the iPhone that offers social, local, entertainment and shopping features and aims to solve all mobile users? search queries in one place

? A revamped Bing mobile browser, available at http://m.bing.com, which includes new home page design and local search listings

? An updated Bing App for the Windows Mobile platform, which includes voice-guided navigation on select carriers

? A Bing application for the Android, to be launched in coming months

?Our focus right now is helping users type less and do more during the mobile search experience,? Ms. Goheen said. ?We will continue to work on using user?s location to deliver more relevant results, delivering a richer experience for shopping and integrating a user's social graph into results.?

Yahoo
Yahoo already offers a number of mobile search services, including in-browser search, a line of applications on multiple platforms and a search widget for Android devices.

?We are growing our search business across mobile and PC, and looking to drive query volume,? Mr. Wiley said. ?When you look at mobile search globally, especially in emerging markets, Yahoo is a dominant player and we will aggressively look to grow that share through partnerships with leading OEMs and carriers, and by making the mobile search experience easier to discover and by introducing new input methods.

?Mobile enables a wonderful playground where we can quickly test and innovate new ideas that take advantage of the unique attributes of mobile devices,? he said.?You will continue to see new and engaging experiences like the recently launched Sketch-a-Search app for iPhone and Search Widget for Android devices that advance how consumers interact with search on mobile.?

Recent mobile search offerings from Yahoo include:

? A ?Sketch-a-Search? feature, available as an application for the iPhone and a search widget on Android devices, that lets a users draw boundaries around areas of a Yahoo-generated map with their fingers in order to find businesses located within the designated perimeter

? An application for the iPhone that includes localized search recommendations, maps and voice search capabilities

?As a pioneer in the space, we've gained a huge amount of knowledge about consumer behavior and are designing easily discoverable products to deliver the answers and relevant information people are looking for in a mobile context,? Mr. Wiley said.

Apple
Apple is an enigma in the realm of mobile search.

The company has announced no formal plans to branch into mobile search and declined to comment for this article.

However, Apple acquired mobile search assistant Siri earlier this year, stoking rumors that the company responsible for the iPhone would try its hand at search.

?Like all things Apple, they are taking a very different approach to mobile search,? said Krishna Subramanian, cofounder of Mobclix, Palo Alto, CA. ?Through their acquisition of Siri, they are posing themselves as the de facto benchmark to beat.

?By taking on mobile search from the users? behavioral perspective rather than following in the footsteps of the search incumbents, who have cut and pasted their desktop experiences into mobile, Apple will be able to provide a much more effective and prolific way to get the answers that consumers demand in a mobile environment."

?Apple?s effect on the mobile search market will likely be parallel to its effect on the device market ?awesome experience, great for the consumer and a game changer for the industry.?

And the winner is??
Which company becomes the de facto leader of mobile search depends on three factors, according to Kirkland, WA-based Neil Strother mobile practice director at ABI Research:

1) Providing enough mobile search inventory

2) Providing the right kind of search inventory, relevant to locations

3) Pricing search engine marketing solutions correctly, making the process easy for advertisers

?At this point, it?s easy to say google or Microsoft will win, but as we?re seeing in some spaces, things don?t always turn out that way,? said Mr. Strother said. ?I would leave the door open to a startup or some other search leader.?

Meanwhile, others say that there will not be any one winner in the mobile search sector.

?The ultimate winner will be the player who can marry mobile search to a specific device that drives adoption and behavior,? Mr. Subramanian said. ?Apple, Microsoft and Google are all in the running to define the ecosystem that will result in multiple winners across a global landscape.?

Final Take
Peter Finocchiaro, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York