1. A computer-implemented method for assigning a search query to one or more verticals, the method comprising the steps of: segmenting a search query into one or more units; wherein each unit of the one or more units is an element of a query; for each of the one or more verticals, computing a coverage adjusted log likelihood for the search query; wherein, for each particular vertical of the one or more verticals, the coverage adjusted log likelihood for the particular vertical is a conditional probability of the query appearing in a log of queries previously submitted within the particular vertical given the one or more units; and assigning the search query to a subset of the one or more verticals based in part on the coverage adjusted log likelihood; wherein the step of assigning the search query to a subset of the one or more verticals further comprises the steps of: selecting a highest coverage adjusted log likelihood from coverage adjusted log likelihoods computed for the search query for each of the one or more verticals; computing a set of differences between the highest coverage adjusted log likelihood and each coverage adjusted log likelihood computed for the search query for each of the one or more verticals; and assigning the search query to a subset of the one or more verticals further based at least in part on the set of differences; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.