When asked if keyword research helps SEO, Google's John Mueller quickly responded with a "no." However, he later clarified the reason behind his answer.

SEO isn't just keyword research. However, having a clear understanding of the topic and purpose of your content can be beneficial.

From His End, Here's The Clarification:

Takeaway!

Like any other suggestion of him, this also indicates the importance of quality content.

Look, Google wants to show the most apt results for search queries.

Leveraging tools and finding keywords is not something that you should do overly. If you have expertise in the topic, you can create something that will be loved by your audience.

Thus, Google considers you as an authority source and ranks your site higher.