If you haven’t come across them before, Easter eggs are often hidden secrets that appear on websites that rarely serve a purpose and only exist for entertainment purposes. They take on many forms and can be relatively simple or extremely elaborate. Websites you use every day are full of them and remain unseen until word gets out!
So what is the point of an Easter Egg? Well, initially they serve just to show a ‘fun side’ to a business or organisation but they can raise awareness of brand or an idea. Easter Eggs are fun to source and often spread through word of mouth or Internet forums, driving traffic to any site that displays them. The more creative and intriguing they are, the more likely they are to spread!
Below are a list of my favourites on the web, you may have already seen some of these but if not, give them a go! You’ll be surprised at how many appear on websites you visit on a daily basis! I won’t reveal what happens, I’ll allow you to discover the magic yourself!
Google – using the Google search bar type in the following phrases and watch the magic happen.
- Type: ‘Do a Barrel Roll’ and hit enter
- Type: ‘Anagram’ and hit enter
- Type: ‘Zerg Rush’ and hit enter
- Type: ‘Atari Breakout’ then click ‘Image Search’ (may have to wait a minute)
- Type: ‘Askew’ and hit enter
YouTube – using the YouTube search bar type in the following phrases and prepare to be amazed.
- Type: ‘Do the Harlem Shake’ and hit enter (requires sound for full effect!)
- Type: ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’ and hit enter.
- Type: ‘Use the Force Luke’ and hit enter.
- Type: ‘1980’ whilst already watching a video (note: just type 1980 on the keyboard, not into any search field)
- Type: A forward slash, leave a space and then type anything.
Other websites to try
Visit: https://wistia.com/about/yearbook and type dance (also has sound!)
Visit: en.wikipedia.org/ and search for ‘Easter Egg Media’ – hover over the egg in the image on the right. Click on the egg.
Visit: http://theoatmeal.com/ – Right click and select view source.
Easter Eggs are a great way to get traffic to your website, traffic that may not stumble across your business or cause through natural browsing. If you have any fantastic ideas for Easter Eggs or would like to discuss the possibility of adding one to your website, why not speak to one of us here at Reflect Digital and we can get cracking! (no pun intended…)
