Correlation vs. Causation (A Mathographic)

Posted by Dr. Pete

As part of our quest to understand the Algorithm, we do a lot of correlation analysis here at SEOmoz. We tend to dive right into the deep end, so I thought it might be a good time to take a step back and talk about the absolute basics of correlation, including some warnings about causation. We’ll often say (and hear) the fallback phrase – “correlation does not imply causation”, but people rarely dig into what that means.

To make this experience as pleasant as possible for the math-phobic, I drew you a picture. I’d like to introduce the world’s first Mathographic. Ok, it’s probably not the world’s first, and it’s really just an infographic, but give a guy credit for trying to keep you entertained.

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<divhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_and_dependence">Correlation and Dependence</a> (Wikipedia)</li> <li><a href="http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/vomsaaw/w/psy220/files/SignifOfCorrelations.htm">Stastistical Signifcance of Correlations</a> (SUNY)</li> <li><a href="http://udel.edu/~mcdonald/statspearman.html">Spearman’s Rank Correlation</a> (U. Delaware)</li> <li><a href="http://www.graphpad.com/www/nonling2.htm">Non-linear Regression</a> (Graphpad)</li> <li><a href="http://xkcd.com/552/">Some Correlation Humor</a> (xkcd)</li> </ul> <p>Are there any other correlation-related topics you’d like to hear more about on the blog? Are there analyses that you’re interested in within the broader realm of SEO and social media? Let us know in the comments.</p> <p> <p>Do you like this post? <a href="http://www.seomoz.org/thumbs/add/blog/14113/1/0">Yes</a> <a href="http://www.seomoz.org/thumbs/add/blog/14113/0/0">No</a> </p> <div> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?a=Le8UNCNcPeI:IOR9n4k-dlI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?a=Le8UNCNcPeI:IOR9n4k-dlI:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?i=Le8UNCNcPeI:IOR9n4k-dlI:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?a=Le8UNCNcPeI:IOR9n4k-dlI:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?i=Le8UNCNcPeI:IOR9n4k-dlI:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?a=Le8UNCNcPeI:IOR9n4k-dlI:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?a=Le8UNCNcPeI:IOR9n4k-dlI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/seomoz?i=Le8UNCNcPeI:IOR9n4k-dlI:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div> <p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/seomoz/~4/Le8UNCNcPeI" height="1" width="1"/></p> </div> <ul class="links inline"><li class="first comment_add"><a href="/comment/reply/2420#comment-form" title="Share your thoughts and opinions related to this posting." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="last full story"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/seomoz/~3/Le8UNCNcPeI/correlation-vs-causation-mathographic" target="default" class="full story">full story</a></li> </ul> </div><div id="comments"></div><div id="block-similar-0" class="block block-similar"> <h2>Similar entries</h2> <div class="content"><div class="item-list"><ul><li><a href="/external/whiteboard-friday-correlation-causation-amp-seo">Whiteboard Friday - Correlation, Causation &amp; SEO</a></li><li><a href="/external/top-2011-moz-posts-2011">Top 2011 Moz Posts of 2011</a></li><li><a href="/external/do-social-signals-drive-traffic">Do Social Signals Drive Traffic?</a></li><li><a href="/external/googles-negative-ranking-factors-whiteboard-friday">Google's Negative Ranking Factors - Whiteboard Friday</a></li><li><a href="/external/does-google-use-facebook-shares-influence-search-rankings">Does Google Use Facebook Shares to Influence Search Rankings?</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar"> <div id="block-block-4" class="block block-block"> <div class="content"><p style="float: right; padding-left: 10px;"><img alt="Drupal Association Organization Member" src="/files/drupal-organisation-member.png" /></p> <h3><a href="http://www.avenuewebmedia.com/drupal-development">Drupal Services</a></h3> <p>- Custom Themes<br /> - Custom Modules<br /> - Consulting<br /> - Hosting<br /> - Upgrades & Migrations<br /> <a href="http://www.avenuewebmedia.com/drupal-development">Read more...</a></p> <p> </p></div> </div><div id="block-block-6" class="block block-block"> <h2>What Our Clients Are Saying</h2> <div class="content"><ul><li>Working with Avenue Web Media was really simple</li><li>We've seen a ten-fold increase in traffic</li><li>Everything I asked for and more was provided beyond my expectations</li><li>The final product was exceptional!</li><li>Avenue Web Media worked tirelessly to bring our vision to life</li><li>I would recommend Avenue Web Media to anyone! 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