The mobile search evolution is gaining momentum. In the last couple of weeks, Yahoo! and Ask.com have rolled out initiatives aimed at improving the mobile search experience for their users.

There’s been no disguising the focus of the top search engines on the mobile search arena. In a year when they’ve all been teaming up with handset providers and trying to gain the mobile market ascendancy, the focus is now on ensuring they’re offering the best search experience on the mobile interface.

Ask.com last week released their search results in a new mobile optimized format (mobile.ask.com). Employing Skweezer to improve readability and download speed, the initial reviews of the service are quite positive.

A comprehensive range of mobile services are available including:

• Web Search
• Directions
• Maps
• Images
• Business Listings
• Weather
• Bloglines link

This mobile search release will help them catch up to the likes of Yahoo!, Google and MSN which offered mobile search sometime ago.

Yahoo! has also released a significant initiative in their drive to be the top mobile search provider. The beta version of their sponsored search results will be provided on their mobile web service in the US and UK.

Yahoo! are providing mobile optimized landing pages for advertisers whose sites are not yet set-up for mobile which will help with the conversion on such sponsored listings.

Both mobile releases are significant strategic moves for the respective companies. While Ask.com are still playing catch up, it does show that they’re heading in the right direction, and for Yahoo!, sponsored mobile listings was the logical next step for their existing web services.