Consent Mode V2 : explanations et implications
SEO Expert
For the past ten years, the protection of personal data is subject to several measures in particular with the enactment of GDPR.
In this constantly evolving context, Google has announced the evolution of its Consent Mode. With a due date on March 6 2024, companies targeting users in the European Economic Area have strong interest in migrating to this evolution to continue using the advanced features of Google Ads. If this applies to you, we explain what you need to know in this article.
What is Consent Mode ?
Originally, Consent Mode is a Google feature designed to enable data modeling in its tools, such as Google Ads or GA4, in cases where users have refused the site’s tracking. This way, if a user rejects cookies, Consent Mode enables Google to receive anonymized information about conversions and visits. Thanks to these informations, Google is able to estimate the share of traffic and conversions achieved by users who have refused cookies. If the user accepts cookies, tracking will works as usual.
How Consent Mode works ?
Basics variables of Consent Mode
To ensure that Consent Mode works and that information can transit from the website to Google tools, the following two variables must be properly setup:
- Ad_storage : this variable manages consent for advertising tags, such as Google Ads.
- Analytics_storage : this consent mode variable focuses on consent related to Google Analytics.
The two new variables to integrate for the Consent Mode V2
Recently, Google has announced a major update of the Consent Mode in order to comply with the Digital Marketing Act (DMA). This update introduces a basic and advanced mode of the consent mode as well as new consent parameters, to be added to the existing variables :
- Ad_user_data : this new variable allows to manage consent for the sharing of user data related to Google's advertising products.
- Ad_personalization : controls consent for retargeting ads
Consent Mode V2 : the need to update your CMP (Consent Management Platform)
To allow users to manage their consent as they want, it is essential to add the new purposes linked to the new Consent Mode V2 variables to your cookies banner (or "CMP").
The importance of implementing Consent Mode V2
Google has set a deadline of March 6, 2024 to migrate to Consent Mode version 2. The consequences of late change to the new standard are not entirely clear, but it is probable that advertising campaigns will be impacted and may no longer function properly if the migration has not been adopted.
It is therefore strongly recommended to companies using advanced Google Ads features to make this transition as quickly as possible.