The methodology in this article is terrible. It makes me doubt that the people at Surge HQ understand even the most basic scientific concepts.

This is like doing a taste test between two sodas where one is clearly labeled "Coke" and the other labeled "Pepsi". It will end up measuring branding and public perception instead of anything empirical or even objective.

This isn't a measurement of search quality, it's a public opinion poll with a sample size of 250. In fact the whole thing is a poorly disguised advertisement, and I don't think it serves them well.