I think this is the best description of what's happened. The only thing I really use Google for any more is if I have a development or design issue. I no longer use it for shopping or literally anything else I would use it for because of what you're talking about.

A five years ago, I noticed most of the results were all paid ads, at the top and bottom of the page and in the right hand column. Then you'd have a long list of Amazon product links. By the time you finally found the company or product you wanted, you were five pages deep and wondering why it was so hard to find something that just a few years earlier would be in the first couple of results.

I just gave up using it - to me its become completely useless. Its a last ditch resource I use if I really need to find something.