In today’s digital age, user privacy is a top priority. As site owner, you rely on tools like Google Analytics and Ads to understand your audience and optimize your content. But with growing data privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA and DMA, ensuring user consent for tracking is crucial.
This is where Google Consent Mode comes in. It’s not a magic solution, but a powerful tool that works with your existing consent management platform (CMP) to manage how Google tags interact with user consent choices.
Think of Consent Mode as a translator between your CMP and Google tags. It communicates user consent selections clearly.
Google Consent Mode is also refered as CoMo.
CoMo v1
Google Consent Mode (v1) was introduced 2020 to address the growing need for user consent management. It acts as a bridge between your Consent Management Platform (CMP) and Google tags, communicating user consent choices clearly.
Parameters available in CoMo v1 were:
| Consent Type | Description |
| ad_storage | Enables storage (such as cookies) related to advertising. |
| analytics_storage | Enables storage (such as cookies) related to analytics e.g. visit duration. |
In addition to the consent mode parameters, there are the following privacy parameters:
| Storage Type | Description |
| functionality_storage | Enables storage that supports the functionality of the website or app e.g. language settings. |
| personalization_storage | Enables storage related to personalization e.g. video recommendations |
| security_storage | Enables storage related to security such as authentication functionality, fraud prevention, and other user protection. |
CoMo v2 bring exciting new features. Before diving into the latest features, let’s take a step back and understand the driving forces behind these changes.
CoMo v2
CoMo v2 introduces several key changes to provide users with more granular control over their data. The original Consent Mode signals (ad_storage for advertising cookies and analytics_storage for analytics cookies) are complemented by two additional signals.
| Consent Type | Description |
| ad_user_data | Sets consent for sending user data related to advertising to Google. |
| ad_personalization | Sets consent for personalized advertising. |
Unlike other consent parameters that control tag firing, these parameters function as informational signals. They communicate user consent preferences to Google advertising services, dictating how user data can be utilized for ad targeting and personalization.
In simple words: These settings don’t influence how tags work on your website. They’re more like guidelines for Google, telling their advertising features how user data can be used for things like targeted ads.
These two parameters are sent along with the URL, insead of the GCS parameter. (More information below)
According to Google, when ad_personalization=’denied’ (for Web and Mobile):
Personalized advertising is disabled, the following features won’t receive data:
1. Remarketing in Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360
2. Personalized advertising with Google’s advertising products
and when ad_user_data=’denied’ (for Web and Mobile):
Personal data collection for online advertising is disabled, including:
1. user_id
2. Enhanced conversions: Hashed first party data
Google has not mandated implementing these new parameters but without them Google’s advertising and analytics services may not function at their full potential. Features like personalized ad targeting, remarketing, user_id and Enhanced conversions might become unavailable.
It is important to note that these changes were driven by the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act in the EU region. More information about DMA can be found in this article by Jellyfish.
Basic VS Advanced Implementation Modes
Basic Mode: This is the most privacy-focused option. Google tags only load after a user interacts with your consent banner. This ensures no data is sent to Google until the user makes a conscious choice.
Advanced Mode: This mode allows tags to load when a user visits your site. However, with advanced mode, the tags won’t collect any personal data until the user grants consent. They may send anonymized pings in the meantime.
| Feature | Basic consent mode | Advanced consent mode |
|---|---|---|
| Tag loading | Blocked until user interaction with a consent banner. | Loads with defaults set to denied, unless configured otherwise. |
| Data transmission | No data is sent before a user consents – not even the default consent status. | When consent is denied, consent state and cookieless pings are sent. When consent is granted, cookies are written and all measurement data is sent. |
| Consent states | Set after user interaction. | Defaults set to denied, unless configured otherwise; updates based on user choice. |
| Tag behavior after user interaction | Loads and executes consent mode APIs only when a user grants consent. | Adjusts tag behavior based on user consent choice. |
| Conversion modeling | General model (less detailed modeling). | Advertiser-specific model (more detailed modeling). |
Demystifying the GCS Parameter: Encoding User Consent
Google Consent Mode utilizes a parameter called gcs within the tracking requests sent to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This parameter encodes the current state of the user’s consent for data collection.
The gcs parameter format is:
G1(Constant): This signifies it’s a GA4 consent mode parameter.- Two digits following
G1: These digits represent the user’s consent for specific purposes.
Here’s what the possible values for the second two digits mean:
- First Digit (ads_storage):
0: User consent to store data for use with Google Ads is absent.1: User has consented to store data for use with Google Ads.
- Second Digit (analytics_storage):
0: User consent to store data for use with Google Analytics is absent.1: User has consented to store data for use with Google Analytics.
For example, G1=11 indicates the user has consented to data collection for both Google Ads and Analytics, while G1=00 signifies the user has not provided consent for either purpose.
SUMMARY
Google Consent Mode (CoMo) keeps evolving! While it’s been around for a while, Google has steadily added features to enhance user privacy and streamline consent management for Google tags (like Analytics and Ads).
The latest additions to CoMo are particularly relevant for the EU region, aligning with the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Though not mandatory, these changes are crucial to maintain full functionality of Google Ads and Analytics services in the EU. Specifically, features like ad personalization, remarketing, user ID, and enhanced conversions may become unavailable without them.
Important Disclaimer: This information is not legal advice. Please consult with your Data Protection Officer (DPO) for guidance on compliance.
If you have any questions or comments on Google Consent Mode, please feel free to drop them in the comments.
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