In the context of PHP and MySQL, what are the best practices for optimizing search queries that involve keyword matching?

When optimizing search queries that involve keyword matching in PHP and MySQL, it is important to use indexes on the columns being searched, utilize full-text search capabilities if available, and sanitize user input to prevent SQL injection attacks. Additionally, consider using wildcard characters like '%' to broaden search results if exact matches are not required.

// Example of optimizing a search query with keyword matching in PHP and MySQL
$searchTerm = $_GET['search']; // Assuming user input is sanitized

// Assuming $conn is the MySQL database connection
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE column_name LIKE :searchTerm");
$stmt->bindValue(':searchTerm', '%' . $searchTerm . '%', PDO::PARAM_STR);
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch and display results
while ($row = $stmt->fetch()) {
    echo $row['column_name'] . "<br>";
}