The feedback loop with Google is they got better and better at indexing everything, so more "indexable" content got created to take advantage of it. There was p

The feedback loop with Google is they got better and better at indexing everything, so more "indexable" content got created to take advantage of it. There was probably some sort of tipping point where normal human behavior and content-generation couldn't keep up with Google's increased capability, so the increase came in generated/copied/llmd/spam content which outpaced the natural growth of real content. This further pushed google to get better and better at "indexing" everything, making the issue worse. Cherry on top for Google: Due to the sheer "volume" of content this loop ended up creating, it posed a larger moat for any new entrants into the search market thus strengthening their monopoly position. There will be a subsequent tipping point: Where due to the sheer volume of generated/spammed/seo crap on the internet, the volume of "real" content will be so small that it'll become within reach of being indexable again by smaller players. We're already seeing this to some extent, and it'll only get better.