What Is AdWords?
AdWords was the original name of Google’s paid search advertising platform, now known as Google Ads. Launched in 2001, AdWords was one of the first platforms to popularize the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) model and introduced the concept of Quality Score, which considered both bid amount and ad relevance—measured partly by CTR (Click-Through Rate)—to determine ad placement.
Although it’s now rebranded as Google Ads, many marketers still refer to it as AdWords, especially when talking about the platform’s earlier versions or historical data.
Related terms: Google Ads, PPC (Pay-Per-Click), Quality Score, SEM (Search Engine Marketing)