Many users assume that consent mode is Google’s attempt to provide a legally sound consent solution for the many regulations that one could be required to abide by. So it might be, but consent mode performs things that are not immediately apparent and could potentially have legal repercussions under many legal frameworks. Therefore, anyone considering consent mode is strongly encouraged to consult with their legal team to ensure that the functionality’s behaviour complies with all applicable laws and standards.
There has been a lot of discussion on consent mode since the release of GA4, the recent addition of Consent Mode Debugging to Google Tag Manager, and the beginning of enforcement of the EU Data Consent Policy.
With consent mode, you may modify your Google tags‘ behavior according to the level of user consent. For example, you can specify whether permission has been given for cookies used for analytics and advertising. When the user has provided permission, Google’s tags will dynamically adapt, only using measurement tools for the designated reasons.
What is Consent Mode Conduct?
Consent Mode by Google is still in the beta phase, which means it has a limited or early deployment. It’s an optional tool that enables you to control visitor consent preferences when they interact with Google-owned assets like Google Ads and Google Analytics on your website.
Consent mode affects how Google Ads and Google Analytics behave when using Google’s tags. Users will be able to conditionally allow or refuse access to ad and analytics storage via a permission management platform, which will impact how the Google tags function.
You’d be excused if you thought that no data would be gathered if a user refused access. You should be aware, though, that information is obtained from people who do not provide their consent; it is simply altered during the collection and processing of data.
What is the Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
GA4 is brand-new software created for collecting and analysing website and mobile application data to understand the user experience better. It uses events rather than data from interactions. In addition, GA4 includes privacy laws, including cookie-less measurement, behavioural modelling, and conversion optimization.
Millions of companies and websites monitor user engagement across websites, apps, and APIs using Google’s Analytics reporting service. Most companies are familiar with this platform as the instrument that enables them to track the volume of online traffic they generate, keep an eye on crucial marketing channels, and assess their primary KPIs.
Consent Mode for GA4: What is it?
All your activities will be tracked by Google Analytics 4 with or without permission. As GA4 uses analytics and ad storage consents, there are a few variants of consent. Therefore, what data is gathered in GA4 depends on the user’s consent.
In Google Analytics 4, the Consent Mode is used to model non-consented user data into the reports. Data loss from Google Analytics reporting will occur for businesses that adopt consent restrictions for Analytics cookies proportional to the number of users who reject analytics cookies. MagicPixel can provide the solution if you are looking for consent mode for GA4. We have a team of experts assisting companies in helping them to track and managing their users.
Does Consent Mode have to be used?
Although it won’t save you any time or work, it will eliminate the need to initiate tracking depending on consent statuses from your CMP manually.
You can create trigger groups that include consent and dynamically fire each tag in GTM to handle variables and triggers for each sort of consent. Although trigger groups are not required when using Consent Mode, you can manage, modify, and update the consent requirement in bulk.
When the user agrees or consents, you may utilize the association tags, as usual, to measure and retarget adverts using Google Analytics and Google Ads cookies. On the other hand, Google’s Consent Mode will use alerts to let users know that events have happened if they choose not to consent.
Wrapping Up
In Google’s opinion, Consent Mode is a practical way to collect relevant data while complying with customer consent requirements worldwide. Then, with that data, budgets, ad text, and landing pages can all be improved.
For instance, when a user declines analytic cookies, you can still receive basic, non-identifying information by using Google Consent Mode. Although you won’t learn anything personally identifying that user, you will still know how they found your website, where they are located, and how long they stayed there.
