Constant Content

I've always assumed that the keywords we list are the terms that help buyers find our articles. For example, if I submitted an article with only three keywords, only buyers who typed in one of those exact keywords would have my article turn up in a search. Then I read something that led me to believe that these keywords aren't for searching purposes but to demonstrate to buyers the key phrases that appear in the article for SEO purposes. Which is correct?

The keywords you submit with your articles on CC are for searching purposes only. If the buyer wants SEO keywords, he would either need to request that you list those at the bottom of your article or add them himself.