Consent Mode

Definition

Consent Mode is a Google mechanism that automatically adapts the behavior of Google tags (GA4, Google Ads, Floodlight) based on the consent collected by the CMP. When a user declines cookies, tags still fire but send degraded hits, without cookies or personal identifiers.

Consent Mode v2 manages four main parameters. analytics_storage: permission to store analytics cookies. ad_storage: permission to store advertising cookies. ad_user_data: permission to send user data to Google for advertising. ad_personalization: permission for ad personalization. Each parameter is either granted or denied.

Data modeling

The main benefit of Consent Mode is behavioral modeling. Google uses the anonymized pings from non-consenting users, combined with data from consenting users, to estimate the missing conversions and behavior. This modeling requires a minimum volume (approximately 1,000 daily events over 7 days) to be activated.

Implementation

Consent Mode is configured in GTM via built-in consent settings and integration with your CMP. It is a technical topic that requires specific expertise to avoid configuration errors. A professional Consent Mode setup ensures that signals are correctly transmitted and modeling works properly.

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