Garbage websites hyperoptimizing for SEO have existed since the late 90s. I agree with the GP, the issue I have seen over the deterioration of search in the past 5-10 years is specifically a result of their business model:

1. Any remotely commercial search has an entire first page of ads, organic results are pushed way down.

2. Google has made it difference between ads and search results as minimal as possible. I long for the days of the early 00s of big yellow boxes.

3. On many pages the amount of content Google stuffs in at the top before you get to actual search results gets more annoying every year.

Honestly, I wish I had a button that made Google result pages look like they did 15 years ago.