AdWords is a special platform introduced to manage pay-per-click advertising on Google. Google offers two types of ads:
Google Search Network
Every time a user searches for keywords connected to your business, your page will appear at the beginning of the search results (it will still be marked as an ad though). It is a solution for the users who are already researching the topic.
Google Display Network
Your ad will be displayed in the form of the banner on the website where you think your target audience is. This type is for users who do not actively search for the product or service but might get interested once they see a banner ad. However, such an ad more often goes unnoticed by users.
Similar platforms are Instagram, Facebook, Twitter ads, Pinterest promoted pins, etc. Google, however, captures more people than users of a certain social media platform.
Advertisers have to be very careful with AdWords though. It can either become a treasure or a curse. If you want to achieve the first effect, you have to really think through the ad campaign: it should use highly relevant keywords, target the right people, have a strong message, and have good creativity behind it. Overall, it requires a lot of research and effort in advance. Otherwise, you will end up spending too much money on clicks that do not convert.