What are the differences between using backticks and omitting quotes when referencing column names in SQL queries in PHP?

When referencing column names in SQL queries in PHP, it is recommended to use backticks (`) around the column names to avoid any conflicts with reserved keywords or special characters. Omitting quotes may work in some cases, but using backticks is a safer and more standard practice to ensure the query runs smoothly.

// Using backticks to reference column names in an SQL query
$query = "SELECT `column1`, `column2` FROM `table_name` WHERE `column3` = 'value'";