At SMX East yesterday, during the Trends in Mobile Search session, Google announced the addition of cross-device conversion reporting in AdWords and I believe this may be related to the loss of referral keyword data in Google Analytics. The new method of ad attribution helps advertisers understand cross-device and cross browser conversions, and eventually will also include attribution for click-to-call and offline conversions—a panopticon of conversion tracking! It is great for advertisers, but I believe it may have pushed mobile privacy concerns far enough to cause Google to pull back the keyword data in Google Analytics (and may possibly have caused the recent hiccup in Google Webmaster Tools as well).

Today, the customer is in charge -- and highly vocal. The reality of customer feedback is not a new phenomenon. For as long as products have been available for consumption, consumers have been sharing their opinions on those products. The only difference between now and even five years ago is the increased ability for customers to share their feedback on extremely public platforms. Facebook, Twitter, blogs and review sites have become message boards for consumer feedback and insight. Even though companies' ability to interact with customers has improved in parallel with customers' ability to speak out, it's been estimated that among social networks and traditional selling channels, companies mishandle 80 percent of customer engagement opportunities. The information that customers share through these channels is an invaluable asset that must be considered carefully and regularly.

Do you know who read your latest blog entry or saw your post on Facebook? How do you plan to navigate the maze of content marketing options — and how well does your content connect with your audience? Content marketing taps into the innate human desires to be informed, educated and entertained; and the best content programs produce high-quality content that meet those desires. But in the hurry to create blog posts, articles, reports, e-books, videos, and infographics, marketers can lose sight of what that content absolutely must do: connect with an audience. Not only that, the abundance of competing links, images, and videos on nearly every webpage create noise that can prevent quality content from being found.

When Google made it apparent that 100 percent of its keyword data will be "(not provided)" (to the SEO community), many reacted with anger, angst, and frustration. Others sat back to absorb the news and some, content-based marketers, embraced the news as part of the natural evolution of SEO. They saw it coming and planned ahead.

'Real-time' has recently taken on greater importance and a new meaning in the world of marketing. Brands are recognizing the value of engaging with customers through active dialogue, identifying relevant conversations and reaching out to specific audiences in the moments when those conversations are happening.

While Google was quietly planning its release of fully secure search, BrightEdge had already launched new optimization and tracking features that analyzed websites from a page level to fill the soon-to-be gap and prepare for the shift in marketing mindset that BrightEdge said it already saw on the horizon.