Google Consent Mode Version 2 - everything you need to know about the new consent mode

Knowledge base

Sebastian Nyström Berglund
Delivery Executive SEO

What is Google Consent Mode V2?

Let's start by clarifying what Consent Mode is. As most people know, you need consent from visitors to a website in order to collect their data to analyse in GA4 and use Google Ads.

Google Consent Mode version 2 is the latest version of Google's user consent management tool. In March 2024, the new EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) This makes it even more important to recognise the potential of Google Consent Mode - and implement it.

The DMA requires both Google and other actors to have a valid consent from each user. The new cookie storage mode is an updated version of the previous tool, required to keep up with developments and legislation at international level.

Why is this update coming now?
The reason for the update is that Google needs to keep up with all the new legislation, as well as the demands and expectations of user privacy on the internet.

Sedan ePrivacy Directive, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was implemented, all companies and organisations offering their goods and services online have been required to collect visitors' consent in order to be allowed to store and analyse the data users bring with them.

Today, a large part of our lives takes place online, both privately and professionally. For users, visitors, transparency in how their data is stored and used by companies is important.

That's why you have to give your consent for cookie collection every time you visit a new website. Consent should be voluntary - and also revocable.

The new consent mode applies to anyone addressing a target audience located in the EEA (European Economic Area).

Read more at Google
How do I know if I need to have Google Consent Mode V2?
As is often the case with updates, there are usually two camps. Those in one camp are quick to jump on anything new, while those in the other camp are happy to wait as long as possible.

However, if you want to use Google Ads or Analytics, you are now required to have Google Consent Mode V2. Third-party cookies will be phased out, and Google Chrome will stop supporting third-party cookies completely from now on.

Anyone who uses Google Ads and wants effective measurement of visitors in GA4 needs to switch to Consent Mode Version 2. This also applies if you do not use Google Ads for advertising, but only want to analyse traffic in Analytics.
How does Google Consent Mode Version 2 work?
But what really distinguishes the new situation from the old?

What makes V2 different from the previous version is that the visitor will now have control over how their data is used for advertising and analytics. When the user visits a website, they are greeted by a cookie banner or widget and given the opportunity to give their consent for how the data is used. These choices are passed on to Google, which customises the behaviour for Google Ads or Google Analytics.

In the past, the focus of consent was on the existence of data collection, but the new focus is on how the data is then used.

When it comes to advertising, there will now be three choices for the visitor,
- Full consent: Consent to the use of data for advertising purposes, including retargeting and personalisation.
- Limited consent: consent to the use of the data for certain advertising purposes, such as retargeting but not personalisation.
- No consent: No consent to the use of the data for advertising purposes.
The aim is to give users more control over how their data is used for advertising.

Our partners are in turn CMP Partners

We at seodr. collaborate with Cookieinformation who are partners with Google's Consent Management Platform, CMP, and can therefore offer seamless implementation of Consent Mode V2 and Google Tag Manager.

Cookie Information is certified by CMP Partners. This means that we have access to contacts, support and resources within Google, in order to offer our customers the best service.

More about CMP Partners

Copywriter at seodr.®, working in the Gothenburg office.

Consent Mode Version 2 - do you choose Basic or Advanced?

There are two types of implementations in Google Consent Mode 2.

Basic Consent Mode: In the basic implementation, no information is collected from users, not even their consent status. Tags remain blocked until consent is given. Although Google Ads conversions can be modelled without user consent, the accuracy is lower in such cases.
Advanced Consent Mode: In the advanced implementation, Google tags are loaded before the user is exposed to the Cookie Consent banner. Google collects data without personal identifiers to improve the accuracy of the model.

Why you need Google Consent Mode V2 - now

For those offering goods and services online and aiming to continue tracking user behaviour and website performance, while optimising their marketing, it is necessary to implement a cookie banner with Google Consent Mode V2 by March 2024.

Failure to do so will result in restrictions on the use of Google's advertising products - you simply will not be able to advertise as before.

Do you need help?

How seodr. can help you

On the websites we develop at seodr. we now use Google Consent Mode V2 for cookie collection. We recommend that anyone who has not yet started implementation contact us and we will help you!