I admit I missed it. Between prepping for DataContent and getting ready for our re-launch (Subscription Site Central will become Subscription Content in November), I missed that on September 23, 2013, Google stopped passing on any keyword data, making it effectively impossible to determine what keyword searches brought visitors to your site. All keywords are now “(Not Provided)”.This is a serious blow for subscription marketers looking for tactical advice to increase their search results.But it’s also precedes a major shift in how Google is going to start indexing content.With six major changes, Google is forcing marketers to adopt a more strategic approach to SEO instead of a tactical one. The reason may be the release of Google’s new Hummingbird algorithm, which lets audiences search in a more conversational style. For example, a search for “images of Fenway Park” can be followed with “who plays there?” without any reference to Boston and Fenway Park, and Google is able to tell the user that it’s the Red Sox.While this allows for a more customized experience for users, publishers will have a harder time gaming the system by loading content with keywords that drive traffic. (That doesn’t mean you should abandon keyword searches through Google AdWords to determine what phrase is used of many to describe a phenomenon or commonly-used term. It just means that you won’t be able to track which keywords are the most powerful for driving visitors to your site.)Therefore, it’s better if publishers play to their strengths. Because Google is also de-emphasizing PageRank (and some believe eradicating it all together soon), publishers should focus on increasing their Author Rank and Publisher Rank. Doing so can help you get listed in Google’s new In-Depth Articles feature, a boon for information and news publishers with deep archives and long-form content.On the plus side, large legacy news outlets and information publishers will have an easier time rising above the noise. On the negative side, independent publishers and new sites are going to have a harder time driving new visitors through search. Which is why smaller subscription sites should adopt alternate ways of driving traffic, such as paid discovery and behavioral targeting.