ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Efryll Carmelo, a senior SEO manager with over 15 years of experience, has published a retrospective titled "My 15-Year SEO Journey: From Spam Links to AI Search," documenting the transformation of search marketing from its early days of link spam to the current era of AI-generated search results. The article argues that despite predictions of SEO's demise with each algorithm update, the discipline has continually adapted and now faces a new frontier with AI search.
Carmelo revisits the so-called Volume Era of 2010, when rankings were dominated by automated software like Bookmarking Demon and Market Samurai, and backlink packets circulated freely. "My first job was link builder, and the job was exactly what it sounds like," Carmelo said. He recalls building micro-niche websites that earned $20 to $50 per month, a system that felt perpetual until Google's Panda and Penguin updates in 2011 and 2012 targeted thin content and manipulative links, forcing manual cleanup of thousands of backlinks.
The retrospective highlights the industry's evolution through Google's Medic update in 2018, BERT in 2019, and the Helpful Content update in 2022, which rewarded people-first content. Now, AI Overviews appear in about 25% of Google searches, and 58.5% of U.S. searches end without a click. Carmelo notes that AI-driven referral visits to retail sites converted 31% better than traditional traffic in the 2025 holiday season, signaling a shift toward generative engine optimization.
Carmelo argues that the current moment favors newcomers, as no one has long experience in AI search. "In 2010 the barrier to entry was owning spam software. In 2026 it is curiosity," he said. He emphasizes that survival in SEO requires patience and a genuine love for the ever-changing field. "Every few years this industry gets a funeral, and every few years the coffin is empty," he added, pointing to the resilience of search optimization.
