As cell phones and PDAs become indispensable accessories for people around the world, marketers are paying close attention to how consumers are using these mobile devices to search the Web.

Mobile search provides another avenue for companies to connect with key audiences. In a recent study by MarketingSherpa, 49.2% of consumer marketers are assessing the potential of mobile search campaigns, and 13.8% will definitely conduct a full mobile campaign or test this year, making mobile search ads an up-and-coming marketing tactic. Savvy marketers are also ensuring that their websites are optimized for mobile browsing so they can take full advantage of the traffic generated by on-the-go consumers.

Mobile search is ideal for consumer businesses that have a local presence, as well as for businesses that target international consumers. While mobile search is on the rise in the US, where there are already over 255-million mobile-centric consumers, research indicates that international consumers possess a higher level of familiarity and comfort with the notion of using cell phones to access the Internet.

Content providers, such as music or gaming services, already top the list of mobile search destinations. The next wave of companies poised to benefit from mobile search includes those in the Sports/Entertainment, Travel, e-Commerce, Consumer Package Goods, Fast Food, and Financial industries. Many businesses in these arenas are getting in on the ground floor by adopting mobile search into their marketing strategies before it becomes an absolute necessity for doing business. Within the next few years, mobile search campaigns will quickly become the best way to reach people when they’re in “gotta get it now” buying mode.

Mobile search offers some interesting new challenges for optimization. Getting your site to the top of the results isn’t the end of the story. You also need to make sure the content is mobile-user-friendly.

In addition to following the usual SEO best practices, a website should have dedicated pages with a mobile-friendly design. To be included in Google's Mobile Index, a site needs an XHTML version. File sizes will need to be small so the site loads quickly. Navigation and page layout will also need to be adjusted in order to fit on the small scale of a cell phone screen. Additionally, submitting a mobile sitemap to the search engines is important. These are just a few of the modifications required for creating a mobile-friendly site.

Mobile search offers businesses an opportunity to reach a large and continuously growing audience of potential customers in fresh and powerful ways. The future of search marketing is calling – and this is one call you don’t want to miss.