What is Google Consent Mode (v2)?

What is Google Consent Mode v2?

Google Consent Mode v2 is a framework developed by Google that allows you to communicate user consent preferences to Google. This is done through several “parameters,” each with a value of either “denied” or “granted.” Based on these parameters, Google adjusts all loaded scripts from Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads accordingly.

When is Google Consent Mode required?

Consent Mode has been around for a while, but starting in March 2024, its implementation will become essential. Specifically, from March 2024, Google will update its systems to assume that a visitor has not given consent unless Google Consent Mode has been applied.

What happens if you don’t set up Google Consent Mode?

If you don’t implement Google Consent Mode, Google will adjust the functionality of its tools on your website as though the visitor has not provided consent. While it’s not yet 100% clear what data you will lose, there are a few key points to consider:

The impact on Google Ads
Without Google Consent Mode, you essentially won’t be able to effectively use Google Ads, as conversion and remarketing tags will not function correctly. If you run Google Ads campaigns, implementing Consent Mode should be your top priority.

The impact on Google Analytics
Without consent, only cookieless pings will be sent to GA4, and it will no longer be possible to use advertising features or create audiences in GA4.

Note: This only affects Google tools. Other platforms, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, are expected to introduce their own consent mode frameworks in the future, likely functioning similarly to Google’s Consent Mode. For a GDPR-compliant tracking setup, it’s crucial to load these tools only when consent has been given.

Which parameters can be sent?

As explained above, you can send various parameters to communicate user consent preferences to Google. In version 1 of Google Consent Mode, there were five parameters. In version 2, Google has added two new ones:

New Parameters:

• ad_user_data: Controls consent for sending user data to Google for online advertising purposes.
• ad_personalization: Controls consent for personalized ads.

Original Parameters:

• ad_storage: Storage for ad-related data.
• analytics_storage: Storage for analytics data.
• functionality_storage: Storage for functional support, such as language settings.
• personalization_storage: Storage for personal settings.
• security_storage: Storage for security-related features.

On each page, you must provide the default value for every parameter and update the consent value (if the user has already provided their preferences). Otherwise, you should only send the default values.

Google automatically reads these parameters and processes incoming signals while taking consent into account. If a user has not made a choice or given consent, their actions will not be available within analytics tools like GA4, Google Ads, Meta, etc.

Next steps:

In summary, if you use Google Ads, it’s crucial to set up Consent Mode for your campaigns to function properly. If you don’t, the urgency may currently be lower, but to stay compliant, it’s likely necessary for you to set this up correctly in the near future.

Disclaimer:

I’m sharing all of this information for free and this content is not sponsored. As an analytics nerd I’ve helped many companies to implement consent mode with different CMP’s such as Complianz, Cookiefirst, Cookiecode, Iubenda & more. However, my favorite CMP is Cookiebot by Usercentrics.

Therefore, I’ve signed up as a Cookiebot partner and I can give you a 20% lifetime discount on your subscription. I’ll have to invite you manually, so contact me if you want help and would like the discount.

If you want to support my content and don’t need the discount, when you click this affiliate link and sign up I’ll get a small affiliate fee. Thanks for reading this far, hope the content is helpful and if there’s anything I can help with: let me know!