Ranking in Google is all about relevance of content to search intent and helpfulness of content to the user. If your website & content are lacking either one of these, it's simply not optimized. That means fewer traffic, leads, and customers from organic (aka free) channels.
Spoiler: keywords are NOT dead. Shifting search engine algorithms and new user behaviors have simply changed how keywords trigger content. Adapting your SEO approach to match these new triggers is the secret to maintaining & improving your rankings.