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Clay County residents have a few internet service providers and plans to choose from.

January is a big time for drugmakers to hike prices. This year saw higher prices for 575 medications so far, including Ozempic, drugs for HIV, cancer and many others.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt)

• Metal Gear Solid Delta, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and more AAA games are reportedly coming to Nintendo Switch 2
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is expected to arrive in 2026
• Its claimed Ubisoft is "doing more than half a dozen games for the Switch 2"

A new report suggests that many third-party games are coming to Nintendo Switch 2.

According to leaker 'NatetheHate' (via VGC) Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will be among the first AAA titles to arrive on the Switch 2, alongside Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the latter of which is said to arrive in 2026.

In a recent podcast, it was also claimed that there has been support from Ubisoft to bring two of its Assassin's Creed games to the next-gen console, including 2023's Assassin's Creed Mirage and Assassin's Creed Shadows.

"One title that will be there within the launch window comes from Ubisoft, and it’s going to be Assassin’s Creed Mirage," said the leaker.

Assassin's Creed Shadows isn't expected to be released until March 20 following its recent delay from February 14, for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, but it's claimed that the game will be making its way to the Switch 2 at a later date.

"To my understanding, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is one of those in development ports, it just won’t be ready for launch, and it probably won’t be ready for the launch window," they said.

It was also claimed that Ubisoft is "doing more than half a dozen games for the Switch 2" and "a lot of them are going to be late ports", including some popular multiplayer titles like The Division and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege.

"There was also some discussion and consideration of doing a Mario Rabbids collection, so it would have one and two in a single package," they added. "It’s just a question of when will these games come out, and I think for Ubisoft, if they can port the game, they will port the game."

The Nintendo Switch 2 doesn't have a release date just yet, but recent reports suggest that the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement could finally happen this week after months of leaks and rumors.

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• Cortini loves Campfire IEMs so much, he approached founder Ken Ball
• The result is Clara, a hybrid driver configuration elite set of IEMs
• Clara IEMs are now available, priced $1,999 / £1,999 (around AU$3,900)

Sometimes the story of a beautifully symbiotic hi-fi partnership and how it came into being feels just a tad too good to be true. The tale as it's being told (and according to committed audiophile and mutual friend of both parties, John Darko) involves long-time lover of Campfire Audio products, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inductee and celebrated NIN synth/bassist, Alessandro Cortini. The story goes that Cortini humbly pitched the idea of a collaborative in-ear monitor effort to CA's founder, Ken Ball, just over a year ago. No, not the other way around; this isn't like that. And he said yes, folks!

Look, when the resulting product is one of the most stunning-looking pairs of IEMs I've seen in many years – not to mention a set of wired earbuds that can be worn in support of a musician who's been on heavy rotation in my ears since 1988 – I don't care if the story's been embellished a little.

I've also long been a fan of the niche Portland Oregon IEM maker's output since I discovered it 2018, including the excellent Trifecta, Fathom, the Solaris Stellar Horizon (which still sit pretty in TechRadar's best wired earbuds buying guide) and more recently the Moon Rover.

But Campfire Audio x Alessandro Cortini – specifically Ken Ball on design and production; Cortini on headshell type and overall sound? This is different. This might just be the perfect drug.

Clara: no, you can't take it

(Image credit: Campfire Audio)

So what's (ahem) underneath it all? That'll be the latest iteration of Campfire’s dual-magnet dynamic driver. Then, there's the advanced dual-diaphragm balanced armature driver for mids, plus Campfire’s signature dual super-tweeters, paired with the brand’s proprietary Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber (TAEC) tech.

This is Campfire Audio so I'd expect some visual theatrics, and sure enough, they don't disappoint aesthetically. The Clara IEM has a printed transparent acrylic finish with navy internal elements, so you can see the insides and feel closer to its multiple drivers.

Pricing? Of course, but take a deep breath. You're looking at $1,999 / £1,999 (around AU$3,900 where sold).

Something I can never have? Quite possibly. But I'm not hurt about it – I'd absolutely love to test them if I possibly can. Watch this space…

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• Record Store Day 2025 has been announced, as if you needed an excuse to buy more records
• This modern cassette player might've been my favorite music experience at CES 2025
• I'd like to be, under the sea, with Ringo Starr's Studer 80 recorder, in the shade

• Microsoft reveals in-depth analysis of a flaw it recently found in macOS
• The bug is potentially dangerous since it allows threat actors to bypass SIP
• SIP is a security feature designed to protect critical system files

Microsoft has released an in-depth technical analysis on CVE-2024-44243, a medium-severity macOS vulnerability which could allow attackers to deploy “undeletable” malware.

macOS devices come with System Integrity Protection (SIP), (AKA "rootless") a security feature designed to protect critical system files and processes from being modified, even by users with root privileges. It was first introduced in macOS El Capitan, and is designed to restrict access to system directories and enforce code integrity.

SIP can be temporarily disabled for specific tasks, but doing so requires restarting the system in recovery mode and using Terminal commands.

Impacting entire OS security

The bug allows local attackers with root privilege to mount low-complexity attacks through which they can bypass SIP root restriction, even if they don’t have physical access to the target endpoint. As a result, they can install rootkits, malware that “cannot be deleted”, and work around Apple’s Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) security framework.

In its writeup, Microsoft described how destructive bypassing SIP can be: "Bypassing SIP impacts the entire operating system's security and could lead to severe consequences, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive security solutions that can detect anomalous behavior from specially entitled processes," Redmond said.

“The challenge of detecting such threats is compounded by the inherent limitations in kernel-level visibility on macOS, making it difficult for traditional security measures to spot and mitigate these sophisticated attacks.”

The flaw was first discovered in late 2024 by both Microsoft and a separate security researcher, Mickey Jin, both of whom responsibly disclosed it to Apple, which addressed it on December 11, 2024, through macOS Sequoia 15.2.

While there is no word of abuse in the wild, users are still advised to apply the patch as soon as possible.

Via BleepingComputer

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Airstream's Midnight Flamingo trailer package has solar, lots of battery capacity and a Klipsch audio system to keep you entertained while adventuring.

Just as financial institutions are leveraging AI to help shore up your defenses, criminals are utilizing AI to help tear them down.

• A new Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 are tipped for launch in September
• Both could feature high blood pressure detection
• It would work similarly to Apple's sleep apnea detection, without giving specific readings

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11 tipped for launch in September 2025 could both feature Apple's long-awaited high blood pressure detection feature, according to the latest reports.

This week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman revealed that Apple's 2025 slate includes plans to upgrade all three of the best Apple Watch models on the market, the Series line, Ultra, and Apple Watch SE. The Apple Watch SE 3 might be the only one getting a redesign, but Gurman says the more premium models may both benefit from a hefty health upgrade.

Gurman says "it's likely" both will feature Apple's rumored high blood pressure detection, along with bolstered satellite tech and 5G, but what could the health upgrade mean for Apple Watch?

Apple Watch Ultra 3's biggest upgrade

(Image credit: Future)

This isn't the first time we've heard about high blood pressure monitoring on the Apple Watch, but this latest leak might be our clearest sign yet that 2025 is the year.

Gurman outlined details about the high blood pressure monitoring late in 2024 and admitted it'll work a lot like the sleep apnea detection feature.

Crucially, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 won't be able to give you specific readings for blood pressure, either diastolic or systolic levels, likely due to the limitations of LED readings. Most smartwatches struggle with accurate blood pressure readings, with the exception of the Huawei Watch D2, which uses a physical cuff. Instead, Apple Watches will apparently be able to inform users if they're in a state of hypertension, without specifics.

As Gurman outlines, Apple is also still hard at work on noninvasive blood-glucose tracking, the holy grail of smartwatch innovation that continues to allude Cupertino.

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The OnePlus 13 sets the stage for a feisty battle for the smartphone crown in 2025.

The space agency’s Spinoff project displays the countless everyday technologies that were spurred by space-related research.

Ah, CES… the first big tech event of the year, and, if you're a tech journalist, likely the last thing you think about as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve. Does it fill us with dread? Absolutely. Still, it's the first glimpse we get of the tech and gadgets that will define the year ahead, and CES 2025 did not disappoint.

The latest episode of the TechRadar podcast features me and our motley crew of tech experts, cozied up in a charmingly intimate broadcast room on the show floor discussing the biggest news from the show floor, analyzing the most interesting trends, and cutting through the hype.

From AI to robot vacuums, display technology to PC components, wearables to the downright weirdables, we've got plenty of ground to cover.

You can catch the episode by watching the embedded video above, or you can stream it directly via our YouTube channel, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

While you’re there, you can catch up on all of our earlier podcast episodes if you haven’t tuned in before, or browse all our other YouTube content.

Make sure to subscribe too so that you can catch our next episode, in which we'll be talking about all the latest and greatest tech news. See you there!

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• The 25 best gadgets we saw at CES 2025, from next-gen TVs to better portable gaming to a smart grill
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• CES 2025 day 3: the 11 best gadgets we've seen, from Lenovo's rollable laptop to Panasonic's new flagship OLED TV

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

In Pope Francis' autobiography Hope he reiterates themes of his papacy like hatred of war and unchecked capitalism, and a desire for the Catholic Church to be seen as a field hospital, not a fortress.

(Image credit: Buda Mendes)

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People in Venezuela can now use Telegram without a VPN service.

Authorities restricted access to the popular messaging app starting Friday, January 10, 2024 and blocked its official website across all the country's main internet service providers (ISPs).

Despite the Telegram ban being lifted, the internet in Venezuela remains restricted. Most notably, the video-sharing app TikTok has entered its seventh day of blockage.

⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show messaging app Telegram is now disrupted in Venezuela, corroborating user reports of issues accessing the service; the incident comes as Nicolas Maduro is sworn in for a third presidential term, a move identified by the opposition as a coup #10Ene pic.twitter.com/7SonpVuAzNJanuary 11, 2025

Venezuelan digital rights group VE sin Filtro shared the news with a post on X (formerly Twitter).

As per VE sin Filtro data, some ISPs (CANTV, Inter, Airtek, Digitel, G-Network, and Movistar) began to lift the ban between Saturday evening and Sunday morning – about a day after the block was enforced. All the rest of the ISPs slowly unblocked Telegram by Monday, January 13.

"It's not the first time Telegram is blocked [in Venezuela]. Telegram was blocked for one day on September 2, 2024, during the wave of post-election censorship," wrote the experts, adding that encrypted messaging app Signal is also currently blocked in the country.

Increased internet censorship

Venezuela's latest wave of restrictions kicked off last week when authorities restricted TikTok on January 8 for failing to appoint a local representative.

The government's decision provoked a surge in VPN usage across the country as citizens looked for ways to bypass disruptions.

Internet disruptions were then extended to the official websites of some of the best VPN providers a day after, to prevent citizens from overcoming government-imposed restrictions.

The blockage targets over 20 VPN websites, including the likes of Proton VPN (which has been blocked since before the July 2024 elections), NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and IPVanish. Despite this, all the providers contacted by TechRadar confirmed their VPN apps are still working as usual in Venezuela at the time of writing.

For the first time, the government even decided to block Canva, a free online graphic tool that can be used to create social media posts and other graphics to share online. Signal, the Tor Browser, and over 30 DNS services are also reportedly blocked.

Proton VPN recorded a spike in sign-ups at 5000% above baseline on January 9, 2025, a day before the contested Maduro’s inauguration ceremony. (Image credit: Proton)

• The gameplay trailer for Street Fighter 6's next fighter Mai Shiranui has been revealed
• Mai Shiranui will be released on February 5
• Mai's will be the second guest character to be added to a Street Fighter game

Capcom has revealed a gameplay trailer for Street Fighter 6's next downloadable content (DLC) character, Mai Shiranui.

Originating from SNK's Fatal Fury series, Mai Shiranui will be added to the fighting game's roster on February 5, 2025, making her the second guest character to ever grace a Street Fighter game.

Mai's debut trailer provided everything players will need to know about the upcoming fighter, including a helpful breakdown of her moveset and abilities.

As a master of ninja trickery and aerial attacks, Mae utilizes her fan as her primary weapon. With Kachousen, she can use it as a fireball to attack opponents, as well as Ryuuenbu, which allows her to spin forward in a fiery blaze for combos or to control space.

With Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi, Mai can cartwheel toward her enemies while her Hishou Ryuuenjin allows her to execute a "dragon punch". There's also a dive tackle ability that lets her come at enemies from the air.

As for Mai's Super Art ability, Level One allows her to set the immediate vicinity on fire, Level Two executes Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi, letting her rush forward and avoid projectiles, while Level Three, Shiranui Ryuu: Enbu Ada Zakura, executes a series of elegant fan strikes.

Mai will also get a secondary outfit inspired by her new look in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, which comes out this April and can be bought with Fighter Coins or by maxing out her bond in World Tour.

Mai Shiranui will automatically become available to owners of the Year 2 Character Pass or Ultimate Pass when she releases. Alternatively, Mai can be purchased individually with Fighter Coins.

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• Attackers access storage buckets with exposed AWS keys
• The files are then encrypted and scheduled for deletion after a week
• Halycon says it observed at least two victims being attacked this way

Cybercriminals have started exploiting legitimate AWS S3 features to encrypt victim buckets in a unique twist to the old ransomware attack.

Researchers from Halycon recently observed multiple victims, all AWS native software developers, being attacked this way. In the attack, the group, dubbed Codefinger, accessed their victims’ cloud storage buckets through publicly exposed, or otherwise compromised, AWS keys with read and write permissions.

After accessing the buckets, they would use AWS server-side encryption with customer provided keys (SSE-C) to lock down the files.

Marking files for deletion

But that’s not where creativity ends with Codefinger. The group does not threaten to release the files to the public, or delete it. Instead, it marks all the encrypted files for deletion within a week, also using AWS S3 native features.

Speaking to The Register, VP of services with the Halcyon RISE Team, Tim West, said this was the first time someone’s abused AWS native secure encryption infrastructure via SSE-C.

"Historically AWS Identity IAM keys are leaked and used for data theft but if this approach gains widespread adoption, it could represent a significant systemic risk to organizations relying on AWS S3 for the storage of critical data," he told the publication.

"This is unique in that most ransomware operators and affiliate attackers do not engage in straight up data destruction as part of a double extortion scheme or to otherwise put pressure on the victim to pay the ransom demand," West said. "Data destruction represents an additional risk to targeted organizations."

Halcyon did not want to name the victims, and instead urged AWS customers to restrict the use of SSE-C.

Amazon, on the other hand, told The Register it does what it can, whenever it spots exposed keys, and urged customers to follow best practices when it comes to cybersecurity.

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• Sigma launches existing 16mm F1.4 and 23mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary lenses for Canon RF mount
• The lenses cost $439 / £389 / AU$617 and $549 / £479 / AU$817 respectively
• That makes six Sigma RF-S lenses, but none yet for full-frame

Sigma has launched two fast-aperture prime lenses for Canon mirrorless cameras; the 16mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary and 23mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary. They join four other Sigma lenses available for the Canon RF mount, all of which are designed for crop sensor (APS-C) models such as the Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R100.

The new lenses increase the total number of Sigma 'RF-S' lenses to six in all, and are the first wide-aperture primes; the 16mm lens has an equivalent 24mm focal length, while the 23mm lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length.

Both lenses offer popular focal lengths with fast f/1.4 apertures, ideal for working in low light and for creating shallow depth of field portraits – I personally relied on a 35mm f/1.4 Sigma lens for a number of years while doing documentary photography in East Africa.

Sigma has set the price of the 16mm F1.4 lens at $439 / £389 / $617, while the 24mm F1.4 costs $549 / £479 /AU$817. These are reasonable prices when you consider the proven optical performance from Sigma Contemporary lenses, plus the fact that Canon equivalents would likely be pricier – should Canon ever launch them.

Four Sigma DC DN Contemporary prime lenses available for the Canon RF mount, from left to right; 23mm F1.4, 50mm F1.4, 30mm F1.4 and 16mm F1.4 (Image credit: Sigma) 6 and counting, but what about full-frame?

Canon kept its lens mount closed to third-party lenses makers longer than rival brands, a move that frustrated some fans, especially given how few lenses Canon has launched for its APS-C cameras. That all changed in April 2024 when Canon gave the key to its RF-mount door to Sigma and Tamron, and we have six existing Sigma lenses rolled out for the RF-mount already.

All of these lenses are for Canon's APS-C cameras, which somewhat addresses the biggest strike against beginner mirrorless Canon models like the EOS R10: limited lens choice.

The 'new' 23mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary attached to the Canon EOS R7. (Image credit: Sigma)

Meanwhile, Canon has been very active in launching new lenses for its full-frame cameras, like our 2024 Camera of the Year, the EOS R5 Mark II. However, we're yet to see full-frame lenses from Sigma and Tamron.

To us, it looks like Canon is taking care of its full-frame lenses while leaving the APS-C lenses to third-party manufacturers like Sigma. That's not a bad approach; however, it's only a matter of time before Canon fans demand that the likes of Sigma start making affordable full-frame lenses for Canon.

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Global IT infrastructure has become increasingly interconnected and interdependent. As a result, operational resilience has continued to climb up CISOs’ agendas. While organizations have matured their handling of software threats, many are struggling with poor visibility and inadequate tools to defend against lower-level threats targeting hardware and firmware, which is proving to be a barrier to resilience.

Supply chain attacks can come in many forms, from ransomware groups compromising suppliers’ infrastructure, to tampering with hardware and firmware. Beyond disruption, the reason why these attacks are so damaging is because they undermine the hardware and firmware foundations of devices, often in ways that are difficult to detect and fix, meaning that software and data cannot be trusted to be secure.

Regulators have begun to move to strengthen supply chain security. The UK has implemented new IOT cybersecurity regulations and is drafting a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to “expand the remit of regulation to protect more digital services and supply chains”. In the US, Executive Order 14028 accelerated the development of software supply chain security requirements for government procurement, explicitly including firmware. The EU is introducing new cyber security requirements at every stage of the supply chain, starting with software and services with the Network and Information Systems (NIS2) directive, and extending to devices themselves with the Cyber Resilience Act to ensure safer hardware and software.

A survey from HP Wolf Security found that 30% of UK organizations say that they or others they know have been impacted by state-sponsored actors trying to insert malicious hardware or firmware into PCs or printers, highlighting the need to address physical device security risks.

Hardware and firmware attacks have major ramifications

The impact of failing to protect the integrity of endpoint hardware and firmware is high. A successful compromise at these lower layers can hand attackers unparalleled visibility and control over a device. The attack surface exposed by hardware and firmware has been a target for skilled and well-resourced threat actors like nation-states for years, offering a stealthy foothold below the operating system (OS). But as the cost and skill of attacking hardware and firmware falls, this capability is trickling down into the hands of other bad actors.

Given the stealthy nature and complexity of firmware threats, real-world examples are not as frequent as malware targeting the OS. Examples like LoJax, in 2018, targeted PC UEFI firmware to survive OS reinstalls and hard drive replacements on devices lacking protection. More recently, the BlackLotus UEFI bootkit was designed to bypass boot security mechanisms and give attackers full control over the OS boot process. Other UEFI malware such as CosmicStrand can launch before the OS and security defenses, allowing attackers to maintain persistence and facilitate command-and-control over the infected computer.

Firms are also concerned about attempts to tamper with devices in transit, with many reporting being blind and unequipped to detect and stop such threats. 75% of UK organizations say they need a way to verify hardware integrity to mitigate the threat of device tampering.

Maturing the approach to endpoint hardware and firmware security

In recent years, IT teams have gotten better at managing and monitoring the software security configuration of devices, and are improving their ability to track software provenance and supply chain assurance. Now, it’s time to bring the same level of maturity to managing and monitoring hardware and firmware security across the entire lifespan of endpoint devices.

Organizations can start by taking the following steps:

• Securely manage firmware configuration throughout the lifecycle of a device, using digital certificates and public-key cryptography. By doing so, administrators can begin managing firmware remotely and eliminate weak password-based authentication.
• Make use of vendor factory services to enable robust hardware and firmware security configurations right from the factory
• Adopt Platform Certificate technology to verify hardware and firmware integrity once devices have been delivered
• Monitor ongoing compliance of device hardware and firmware configuration across your fleet of devices – this is a continuous process that should be in place as long as devices are in use.

Ultimately, endpoint security depends on strong supply chain security, which starts with the assurance that devices, whether PCs, printers, or any form of IoT, are built and delivered with the intended components. This is why organizations should increasingly focus on securing the hardware and firmware foundations of their endpoints, by managing, monitoring and remediating hardware and firmware security throughout the lifetime of any device in their fleet.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

TikTok is pushing back on a potential sale to Musk, calling the reports "pure fiction."

Not so long ago, artificial intelligence still seemed like something out of a science fiction film — you were more likely to come across it on the big screen rather than your computer screen.

But since generative AI started making waves around the beginning of 2023, bringing AI to the forefront of discussions about emerging technologies, AI-powered tools have quickly proliferated, integrating themselves into various aspects of both our personal and professional lives and improving efficiency.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one industry where AI is proving to be particularly beneficial, helping SEO professionals streamline workflows, accomplish more in less time, and achieve better results.

Examples of how AI can be used for SEO

SERP ranking analysis & local rank

Tracking AI-powered rank tracking tools offer tailored insights into performance, tracking keyword positions across various locations on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and within the Map Pack (for Local SEO), uncovering trends and patterns with remarkable precision.

By processing virtually limitless data at lightning-fast speeds, AI not only identifies opportunities but also delivers actionable recommendations to improve rankings and outpace competitors in target markets. Previously, SEO guidance often relied on generalized “best practices” that left room for interpretation. Today, thanks to the contextual depth of Large Language Models, recommendations are hyper-specific, uniquely tailored to individual brands or locations. This evolution has shifted SEO from a field dominated by subjective opinions to one firmly rooted in data-driven, highly targeted strategies.

Competitor research

Understanding who your top competitors are and what they’re doing well in terms of SEO is a major key to continued SEO success — and AI excels at competitor analysis.

AI tools can monitor existing competitors’ performance, providing insights into their keyword targeting and other strategies, and even identifying and alerting you to new competitors as they enter the market. These tools identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats while offering suggestions for how to refine your own SEO strategy to remain competitive.

Keyword research

Keyword research tools are increasingly integrating AI features that offer users additional ways to get keyword suggestions.

By analyzing vast amounts of search data and identifying patterns that might not be immediately obvious to the human eye, such AI-driven suggestion features can help you find new keywords to target that are perfectly aligned with your target audience and their search intent. This ensures that your keyword strategy is both comprehensive and focused on keywords with high potential to drive traffic and conversions.

Content writing and optimization

Generative AI tools are revolutionizing the way we create SEO-friendly content, allowing content writers and SEO professionals to generate outlines, drafts, and web content in a fraction of the time it would take to do so from scratch.

These generative AI tools analyze existing content, search intent, and top-ranking articles to create content tailored to your audience and goals. They can also help you optimize existing content by identifying keyword gaps, improving readability, and making your content more engaging, all of which improve its SEO.

Linking suggestions

AI can help automate the process of incorporating internal and external links into web pages and content, providing strategic recommendations on where to insert links for maximum SEO impact.

For internal links, AI tools can analyze your site’s structure and content and provide linking suggestions to improve navigability and page authority. For external links, AI can identify authoritative sources to reference and link to in your content, helping optimize it for SERPs.

Image creation and optimization

Using AI for SEO isn’t limited to text-based content — AI tools can also quickly create custom graphics for your site, enhancing the user experience and providing additional opportunities to rank for visual content.

AI can also create descriptive alt text and suggest ideal file sizes and dimensions for these images, optimizing them for users and search engine algorithms alike.

Metadata generation

AI can quickly generate meta titles and descriptions for web pages, analyzing page content and keywords to create metadata that improves click-through rates, aligns with SEO best practices, and helps your pages stand out in search results.

User experience analysis

AI can evaluate user behavior metrics, such as bounce rates, session durations, and site heatmaps, to assess how visitors interact with your site and identify optimization opportunities.

This can help you identify technical issues, like slow-loading pages or confusing navigation, and provide actionable recommendations on how to improve the user experience - an important ranking factor for SERPs.

Schema markup generation

AI is also making schema markup creation faster and more accessible, even for those with limited technical expertise.

You can use AI to quickly analyze your website’s content and generate ready-to-use structured data markup that will help search engines better understand your site, improving how your pages appear in search results.

Sentiment analysis

AI-powered sentiment analysis tools can scan customer reviews, social media mentions, and other sources of feedback to provide insights into customer perceptions and help with reputation management, which can affect SEO (especially local SEO).

For instance, analyzing Google reviews can help local businesses address issues and get more positive reviews, which directly impact Google Business Profile rankings on Google Search and Maps.

Conversational insights

Through the power of AI copilots — essentially artificially intelligent virtual assistants — you can now gain conversational insights into SEO through natural language queries.

This power is multiplied when you connect a copilot to a source of SEO data, such as a local rank tracker, allowing you to ask specific questions about your performance and get data-backed suggestions on how to improve it.

The dawn of AIO

We’ve officially entered the age of AI optimization (AIO) — the era of optimizing both for and with AI.

While there’s still room for more traditional SEO practices in a comprehensive strategy, optimizing with AI is becoming increasingly important, especially as search engines themselves integrate more AI-based features and functionalities.

As search engines become more artificially intelligent, using AI to optimize for them will help supercharge your efforts and ensure alignment with shifting algorithms and user preferences. From automating time-consuming tasks to providing deeper insights into performance and user behavior, using AI for SEO allows you to focus more on strategy and creativity.

As AI and its SEO capabilities continue to evolve, it’s sure to continue offering new ways for businesses to analyze data, engage users, and optimize performance, becoming an even more indispensable part of any digital marketing strategy. Those that embrace AI for SEO now will be better positioned in the long run, future-proofing their SEO efforts and setting themselves up for continued success.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here : https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro