AOL's mobile search moves to the beta phase

Add another search service to the mobile market. This week, AOL's mobile search engine moved into the beta testing phase. AOL allows users to join this last test phase through a website.

by Kristina Knight

To join the tests and see what the fuss is all about log on to wap.aol.com and choose "1" for the search program.

AOL Mobile Search offers results from their local listing, including AOL City Guides, MapQuest maps, weather and news. Users will also be able to access movie times, stock quotes and even receive pictures.

Mobile search is still a fairly new market but is quickly growing with marketers and users. Marketers are realizing how easy it is to create and manage a mobile search campaign, and users are becoming more adept at using mobile search to find directions and other local information from their mobile devices.

This mobile offering may appeal to more users because the "basic" model can be used on most cell phones that come with an Internet browser. There is also an enhanced version that can be used by Windows Mobile users.

eMarketer predicts that the mobile search spend will reach $715 million by 2011, that will be about 15% of the mobile advertising spend. In 2006 mobile search brought in about $2 million; there were about 20 million mobile searchers in 2006. This year, mobile search is expected to bring in $13 million.