Example analysis. This is what we would recommend if we analyzed this app with TrackASO. We are not affiliated with the developer, have not seen their App Store Connect data, and know nothing about their downloads or revenue. Everything below comes from public App Store data pulled on 13 October 2026. App and developer names are left out on purpose.
# A crowded-looking search that isn't: a US developer utility and "json formatter"
The app is a free JSON formatting utility on the US App Store, published by a small developer. It has 60 ratings at 4.88. It launched in December 2019, got one update the next day, and there has been no update since. Its title contains "json formatter"; its subtitle describes a feature (syntax error highlighting).
It sits near the top of a search that looks crowded at first glance. Why it can do that, and where it could go next, is the interesting part.
What the public search results show
We ran the title and subtitle terms through the public iTunes Search API (US storefront) on 13 October 2026, 05:59 Istanbul time. These are positions from one public API pull, not official App Store ranks, and they may differ from what someone sees on their iPhone.
| Search | Public position | Results returned |
|---|---|---|
| json formatter | 3 | 48 |
| formatter | 4 | 39 |
| json | 10 | 48 |
| json validator | 11 | 48 |
| json viewer | 34 | 48 |
An earlier pull the same night (00:10–00:15, limit 25) also had the app at 3 for "json formatter".
Eight titles out of ten, median of one rating
In our manual look at the public top 10 for "json formatter", 8 of the 10 apps have both "json" and "formatter" in their title. That reads as a packed field. But the median app in that top 10 has 1 rating, and the strongest has 438.
So the phrase is everywhere, but the apps using it are mostly small. Lots of titles containing a term tells you the term is relevant, not that it's hard to win. A 60-rating app with a good average is a serious contender in that group, which matches the app sitting at 3.
A single difficulty score can blur this, so the conclusion here comes from a manual check of who is in the top 10, not from a score.
The subtitle question
The current subtitle describes a real feature. But it doesn't look like something a developer types into App Store search, and we have no popularity data for it either way. It should be tested, not assumed.
Meanwhile, two searches with clear developer intent are close by: "json validator" at 11, just off the first screen, and "json viewer" at 34. Both say exactly what the app does. Putting them in the subtitle is the reasonable test. We'd avoid repeating "JSON" or "formatter", which are already in the title.
The reviews point the same way. Users describe the app in plain words: "Truly the simplest easiest to use JSON formatter ... under 1MB", "formats json, what else can you ask for", "Let's me quickly look up what I need to when sent some json." (public App Store review feed). "Look up" is close to viewing, and "simple" comes up again and again. That is how people see the app, and it's worth testing in the metadata.
What we would recommend
1. Keep "json formatter" where it is. It is the title term, the app is at 3 in our snapshot, and the competition is mostly small. Don't change the title.
2. Test a subtitle built on "validator" and "viewer". Something in the spirit of "Validator & Viewer, simple", fitted into 30 characters. We can't tell you in advance whether 11 becomes top 5, or whether 34 becomes the first screen. That's what tracking is for.
3. Move "syntax", "error" and "highlighting" into the keyword field if they still matter. Apple gives you the 100-unit keyword field. Single words there can still combine with the title ("json error", "json syntax") without spending subtitle space. Skip anything already in the title or subtitle.
4. Check intent on neighbouring terms. Searches such as "xml formatter" or a broad "developer tools" may bring different apps or far stronger ones. We'd open each top 10 before adding a word, and only add formats the app really handles.
5. Expect popularity to say little. Many developer long-tail terms show the minimum popularity of 5 in Apple's data, so the choice rests on rank, competition and intent. If every candidate shows 5, we'd say that plainly rather than sort on it.
6. Ship a version. Metadata changes need a new release, and the last one is from December 2019. The one feature request in the reviews ("Some export features would be great") is a natural reason for one.
What we would watch afterwards
The test is "json validator" and "json viewer" in the US, with "json formatter" watched to make sure it holds. With TrackASO, every tracked keyword is checked every night, all in the cloud, up to the first 250 results.
Sources: public App Store listing, iTunes Lookup and Search API (US) and the public App Store review feed, all pulled 13 October 2026. Positions are from a single public API pull, not official ranks. We have no download, revenue or popularity data for this app. App and developer are not named.