In August 2025 Kerala declared itself India's first fully digitally literate state, after training 21.88 lakh people in smartphone, WhatsApp and online banking basics. They are customers too: make your business easy to find, understand and contact online, in English and Malayalam.
Your business is ready if a first-time internet user can find it, understand it and contact it from a phone, in Malayalam if they prefer. In August 2025 Kerala declared itself India's first fully digitally literate state, after a survey of 83.45 lakh households and basic training for 21.88 lakh people in smartphone use, WhatsApp, internet banking and online government services. Those learners, more than 15,000 of them over 90, are now customers who can look you up.
They join a population that is already largely online. Industries Minister P Rajeev said in October 2024 that 86 of every 100 people in the state had internet connectivity, and the 2024 IAMAI-Kantar report found Malayalam among the most popular Indian languages for online content. Google, meanwhile, has been adding AI answers and voice conversations in Indian languages.
Below: what Digi Kerala actually did, where connectivity still falls short, why Malayalam matters, how search is changing, and a 90-day plan.
- people trained in digital basics under Digi Kerala
- 21.88 lakh
- people trained in digital basics under Digi Kerala
- households surveyed to find them
- 83.45 lakh
- households surveyed to find them
- newly literate learners over the age of 90
- 15,000+
- newly literate learners over the age of 90
- government services online, the Chief Minister said in August 2025
- About 900
- government services online, the Chief Minister said in August 2025
01
What Digi Kerala actually did
The programme began in 2022 as a pilot in Pullampara, a panchayat near Thiruvananthapuram, after a district women's welfare officer noticed that elderly women under the rural employment scheme had spent money and risked their health during the Covid lockdown just to check whether payments had reached their bank accounts. The Local Self-Government Department then scaled it across the state with 2.57 lakh volunteers, and 99.98% of learners passed the evaluation.
The modules were practical: smartphone use, WhatsApp, internet banking, government services online and safe digital habits. At the declaration the Chief Minister said about 900 government services were already online, and the next phase will link certificates and other entitlement documents to DigiLocker and teach people to avoid cyber fraud, including safe use of UPI.
Read the label carefully. 'Fully digitally literate' means the people identified as lacking basic skills completed a basic course. It does not make every learner a confident online shopper, so treat them as cautious new users.
Initially, we targeted citizens below 65 years, but eventually, over 15,000 newly literate participants were above 90.
02
Connectivity is strong, with gaps
Access is not yet universal. The state's own fibre network, K-FON, was set up to bring affordable internet to more than 20 lakh economically weaker households and to government offices, but in October 2024 an official said its slow progress was holding back the digital literacy timetable. Reporting at the time also noted that not every household owns a smartphone or computer, particularly in poorer and rural areas.
Government services are setting expectations too. At the August declaration, the Chief Minister also said that people can now get birth and income certificates and file police complaints without visiting an office, and that NRIs can use services without travelling home. Customers who can do that from a phone will reasonably expect to book an appointment or request a quote the same way.
The practical reading for a business is simple: most of your customers can reach you on a phone, but not all of them have a laptop, fast fibre or patience for a slow site. Build for an ordinary phone on mobile data first, and keep a visible phone number for people who would rather call.
03
Malayalam is part of the digital mainstream
Nationally, the 2024 IAMAI-Kantar report found that 98% of internet users accessed content in Indian languages and that about 57% of urban users preferred regional languages. Google said in October 2024 that more than 40% of Gemini's Indian-language users relied on voice, and as it launched Gemini Live in Hindi it said Malayalam and seven other Indian languages would follow in the coming weeks. It also said more people in India use Google Lens and voice search every month than in any other country.
If a good share of your customers prefer Malayalam, a Malayalam version of your main service pages meets them where they are. Keep it to the pages that matter, give each one its own web address, and have it written or checked by a fluent speaker rather than pasted from a translation tool. Short sentences and direct answers to common questions also suit people who listen to answers rather than read them.
04
Search is turning into answers
Google brought AI Overviews to India in August 2024 in English and Hindi, and said Indian users listened to those answers more often than users elsewhere. In July 2025 it opened AI Mode, its conversational search, to everyone in India in English, and added Hindi in September. These systems summarise what they find, which rewards businesses whose details are clear, consistent and easy to quote.
For local searches, Google says its results depend on relevance, distance and prominence. A complete Business Profile with precise categories and accurate hours helps with the first, and Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help with the third. Our piece on why SEO is not dead explains how this groundwork also feeds AI answers.
05
Meet new users where they are
| What customers are used to | What it asks of your business |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp, a core Digi Kerala module | A WhatsApp contact on every page, answered within business hours |
| Internet banking, with UPI fraud awareness the next focus | Payment requests only from your verified accounts, and never asking for an OTP |
| About 900 government services online | Online booking or an enquiry form, not just 'call us' |
| Smartphones learned late in life | Large text, plain words, a visible phone number and a fast mobile site |
| Content in Indian languages | Malayalam versions of your main service pages |
06
A 90-day plan for a Kerala small business
- Complete your Business Profile: precise categories, every service, accurate hours, real photos, and replies to every review.
- Make WhatsApp the front door: a click-to-chat button on every page, a greeting that sets expectations and a named person who replies.
- Speed up the mobile site so it loads quickly on an ordinary phone over mobile data.
- Rewrite your five busiest pages to open with the questions customers ask, then plain answers, prices and timings.
- Add Malayalam versions of those pages at their own URLs, written or reviewed by a fluent speaker.
- Measure enquiries, not likes. Our guide to privacy-first analytics shows a simple setup.
Sources
Facts as of 3 October 2025.