Advertisers use Google Ads to serve display ads on the AdSense network, while publishers use Google AdSense to monetize their current traffic. AdWords and AdSense are two separate advertising platforms offered by Google that have very different use cases. Businesses across industries can use AdWords to drive traffic to their website in order to convert visitors into subscribers or customers.
AdWords is a great way to attract people to your website, but it's important to have a clearly defined set of objectives before launching a campaign. Since AdWords can quickly become expensive, you'll want to measure the ROI of your campaign on an ongoing basis. However, while AdWords allows advertisers to optimize their advertising campaigns to maximize return on investment, AdSense doesn't offer publishers that luxury.
The good news is that both AdWords and the display network (via AdSense) are good options for advertisers. When you search for something on Google, four AdWords ads appear at the top of the SERP, followed by the first non-advertising search result (Google's support page).
So, should you choose AdSense over AdWords? It depends on your business goals. If you don't sell any products or services, then AdSense is the better option. However, if you're looking to drive traffic to your website and convert visitors into customers, then AdWords is the way to go.