Last month, we looked at some of our favourite Google Doodles of all time, but those novelty logos aren’t the only quirky curiosities you’ll find while using the search engine. Google is also full of hidden ‘Easter eggs’ – secret little features to put a smile on your face when you least expect it. These can include anything from subtle nods to Geek culture to unusual ways of presenting the search results.
To celebrate these much-loved oddities, we’ve picked out our favourite Easter eggs that we’ve encountered while using Google over the years. Make sure you have Google open in a separate tab, because we know you’re going to be tempted to give these a try when you hear about them.
Do a barrel roll
A true favourite of the internet. Introduced back in November 2011, searching “Do a barrel roll” on Google will cause the results page to do a full 360 degree spin.
One website, elgooG (which archives all of Google’s interactive Easter eggs), actually gives you the option to perform the spin a million times. You might find that it’ll stop spinning long before hitting this number though, which is probably for the best when you think about it.
Google gravity
Another throwback to a simpler time. Searching Google gravity would take you to an alternative version of the search engine where all the results drop to the bottom of the page. Making multiple searches would lead to the results piling on top of each other, some flipping over and landing upside down.
Does this help you find what you were looking for in any way? No, it actually makes it more awkward if anything, but who cares? It looks cool! This one doesn’t work on Google anymore, so you’ll have to go back to that aforementioned archive if you fancy giving it a go.
Thanos snap
A real treat for the Marvel lovers out there (and admittedly, there’s a few of us in the office here at It Works, so we had to pick this one).
Around the release of Avengers: Endgame, users who searched for Thanos could click on a cartoon of the character’s Infinity Gauntlet, then watch as the search results disappeared from their screen. It was just as if the man himself had clicked his fingers! Now we know what would happen if Google got hold of all the Infinity Stones!
The answer to life, the universe and everything
Avengers isn’t the only franchise to get the Easter egg treatment, though. Anyone who asks Google about the answer to life, the universe and everything will be presented with the number 42 in a calculator.
For those who don’t know, this is a reference to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – a popular comedy sci-fi series in which the Earth is revealed as a supercomputer designed to answer the meaning of ife. But, after endless years of calculations, the answer given is simply, 42.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
This one’s for the gamers. When you search for the Super Mario Bros. Movie, you’ll notice a coin block from the video game in the top left of the search results. Click on it and you’ll hear the coin sound from the video game along with the block animation, as if Mario just hit it himself. It’s an instant hit of nostalgia!
Read more about the world of Google and SEO
To learn more about how Google works, whether it be fun facts or expert tips on how to get your site higher in the search results, read another of our helpful blogs. But, if you need a hand improving your site’s performance, simply get in touch to hear how our team can support your SEO efforts.
