Question 1

What metadata fields are indexable for Telegram Mini Apps in 2026?

Accepted Answer

As of the April 2026 update: bot username, bot Name, About text, Description, Description picture, command menu (with the new per-command icons and language_code localization), the Web App launch URL, Open Graph tags on the launch URL, and App Center fields (category, location tag, screenshots). All nine are read by Telegram's internal indexing and most by external crawlers.

Question 2

Does Google index Telegram Mini Apps directly?

Accepted Answer

Google indexes the public t.me/<bot> profile and the launch URL on your domain — not the Mini App canvas itself (it runs inside Telegram's WebView). Tune Open Graph and structured data on the launch URL, plus a clean BotFather Description, and both surfaces rank. Most Mini App SEO traffic eventually arrives via the launch URL, not the t.me profile.

Question 3

How long does it take for BotFather metadata changes to show up in search?

Accepted Answer

In our testing, profile-card changes (Name, About, Description, picture) propagate to logged-out t.me/<bot> profile views within 5–15 minutes. Telegram's internal in-app search re-indexes within 6–12 hours. App Center grid placement updates next time the listing is re-scored, typically once per day.

Question 4

Should I add a Mini App to a public channel I already run?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a pinned launch post on an existing channel is the highest-leverage seeding move available. Channels with ≥ 1,000 active subscribers consistently push Mini Apps into App Center "Trending" within a week, even without ad spend. Use the channel's own niche tags as the share-text seed.

Question 5

What's the difference between a Direct Link Mini App and a regular Web App?

Accepted Answer

A regular Web App opens via the bot's menu button and supports tgWebAppData for in-Telegram-only state. A Direct Link Mini App opens via t.me//?startapp= and is shareable as a stand-alone URL inside any chat. For SEO, Direct Link Mini Apps are strictly better — every share is a self-contained launch.

Question 6

How do I track which Mini App SEO levers are actually working?

Accepted Answer

Add UTM-tagged destinations on every share surface (?utm_source=t.me, ?utm_source=appcenter, ?utm_source=share-button) and aggregate on the launch URL. Cross-reference with Telegram's bot analytics for the per-bot start counts. A weekly review of the four-metric dashboard from the analytics benchmark catches misfiring levers before they cost you a month of growth.