They could be, but often they launched something on-platform in AOL's walled garden that could not be accessed by a web browser. Basically, windows inside of the AOL application. Screenshots would explain better than I can but I'm having trouble finding a good one. Maybe: https://i.insider.com/53f27f8069bedd317d1c5fb5?width=1200

Not all the time. Many keywords were a shortcut into a curated multimedia portal inside AOL. It could be equivalent to a web site for a brand, but could also be a more general area inside AOL with related articles, chat rooms, etc on that topic. More like opening a magazine than running a web search or typing a URL.