I first came across with Google penalties in 2017, the year when Penguin was in full swing. And honestly, it was really stressful for me as an editor because when I had a question from one of our advertizers saying "hey where is the article we've just published with you? We find it only by searching the full URL in the search box" - at that time, I did not know what to say. And the only answer I got from our programmer (who turned out to be a good programmer but not a good SEO) - don't look there in the Console, it's none of your business. (That was quite offensive, and I had to say goodbye to them).
Anyway, then I realized how strongly we depended on Google. And I must say that was not without admiration: to observe how Google struggled to keep the SERPs clean of manipulations - and how many new things SEOs invented.
In this article, you will learn about major Google penalties, how to avoid them, and also what tactics work and what not anymore.
https://www.link-assistant.com/news/google-penalties-guide.html