Google?s decision to include iPhone and Android applications in its mobile search results will surely drive downloads for developers and marketers.

Mobile applications continue to proliferate in the Android Market and iPhone App Store. Therefore, finding relevant information on the Web about these applications is becoming more important to help consumers decide which ones to download.

?The apps surfaced through search will be part of organic search results,? said Anthony House, spokesman at Google, Mountain View, CA. ?They're not affiliate links and have no impact on ad placement.?

In addition to helping consumers find the mobile application information they are looking for, Google Search for mobile now also makes it easier to get the actual applications while searching.

Consumers that point their mobile phone?s browser to http://www.google.com on an iPhone or Android-powered device and search for an application, will be served special links and content at the top of the search results.

Users can tap these links to go directly to the application?s Android Market or iPhone App Store page.

Additionally, consumers can get a quick look at some of the application?s basic details including the price, rating and publisher. These results will appear when your search pertains to a mobile application and relevant, well-rated applications are found.

For example, try searching for ?download Shazam? on an Android-powered device or ?Bank of America app? on an iPhone.

Here is a screen grab of the mobile search results for Bank of America?s iPhone application.

Mobile application search results are available today in the United States, with other countries and devices planned for the future.

?Why are we doing this?? Mr. House said. ?Search has always been about helping a user find the most relevant information for them.

?We believe that if a user is looking for a particular mobile application, we should help them find it and take action, for example read reviews or install it,? he said. ?This is a first step to helping people do just that.?

AdSense news
On a separate note, Google has made its AdSense for mobile applications work with more ad networks.

The goal is to help people grow their mobile business with ads.

The announcement is Google?s way of making its tools more flexible by allowing publishers participating in the AdSense for Mobile Applications beta program to use third-party mediators.

Mediation lets application developers use multiple ad networks simultaneously ? reaching a greater pool of advertisers and focusing more time on building their applications, and less time managing ad inventory.

?We think this is great news for our AdSense for Mobile Application publishers because it will allow them to easily optimize and fill their ad inventory,? said Jim Kelm, product manager of mobile ads at Google. 

?We believe this also shows our commitment to develop the mobile advertising ecosystem by ensuring that the most optimal ad is shown to users, and enabling our AdSense partners to earn more regardless of which networks they use,? he said.