Adwords

Adwords was the official name from 2000 to 2018 for Google's advertising network used to place ads in search results, on YouTube and in the display network. In 2018 the system was renamed to Google Ads, but the term Adwords is still widely used in conversation.

How Adwords worked and works today

Advertisers bid on keywords, that is search terms for which their ad should appear. The actual placement and click price result from an auction in which the bid, the quality score and other factors are evaluated. You only pay when a user actually clicks.

Why the brand was renamed

Google replaced the Adwords name because the platform had long grown beyond pure search ads. Display advertising, shopping ads, YouTube ads and automated campaigns could no longer be sensibly summarised under Adwords. Google Ads is the broader umbrella.

Adwords as a term in customer conversations

In daily business the term Adwords still comes up frequently, especially with customers who worked with the system before 2018. What is meant is always Google Ads. For search ad campaigns that serve as a reach source for email lists or lead acquisition, Google Ads remains one of the central levers.