8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing program instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to execute a method of responding to a search query requesting relevant software applications from a database of software applications, the method comprising: receiving, at a server, the search query from an electronic device of a user, the search query including one or more terms; analyzing the one or more terms to assign a search category to the search query, the search category being selected from a plurality of potential search categories, wherein each category of the plurality of potential search categories relates to a different search technique for searching the database of software applications, wherein a first search technique emphasizes exact textual matches more than a second search technique emphasizes exact textual matches, and wherein the analysis utilizes empirical data associated with the one or more terms; determining a search technique based on the search category; using the determined search technique to search, at the server, the database for one or more relevant software applications based on the search query; and sending, to the electronic device, a list of the one or more relevant software applications; wherein analyzing the one or more terms comprises: identifying a set of previous search queries from other users including the term or an equivalent term; identifying, for each search query in the set of previous search queries, an application selected or downloaded by a respective other user subsequent to receiving results from the previous search query; and analyzing a distribution over the selected or downloaded applications; and wherein analyzing the distribution includes: determining a statistical value of the distribution; and comparing the statistical value to a threshold, wherein the functional category is assigned to the search query when the statistical value exceeds the threshold.
8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing program instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to execute a method of responding to a search query requesting relevant software applications from a database of software applications, the method comprising: receiving, at a server, the search query from an electronic device of a user, the search query including one or more terms; analyzing the one or more terms to assign a search category to the search query, the search category being selected from a plurality of potential search categories, wherein each category of the plurality of potential search categories relates to a different search technique for searching the database of software applications, wherein a first search technique emphasizes exact textual matches more than a second search technique emphasizes exact textual matches, and wherein the analysis utilizes empirical data associated with the one or more terms; determining a search technique based on the search category; using the determined search technique to search, at the server, the database for one or more relevant software applications based on the search query; and sending, to the electronic device, a list of the one or more relevant software applications; wherein analyzing the one or more terms comprises: identifying a set of previous search queries from other users including the term or an equivalent term; identifying, for each search query in the set of previous search queries, an application selected or downloaded by a respective other user subsequent to receiving results from the previous search query; and analyzing a distribution over the selected or downloaded applications; and wherein analyzing the distribution includes: determining a statistical value of the distribution; and comparing the statistical value to a threshold, wherein the functional category is assigned to the search query when the statistical value exceeds the threshold. 10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the empirical data includes data identifying other users' downloads of software applications subsequent to initiating same or equivalent search queries.