Lesson 2 of 3 · 4 min read
Google Consent Mode v2, in plain words
Google Consent Mode is how Google’s own tags, such as GA4 and Google Ads, learn what the visitor allowed. Version 2 is required for advertisers who want to use audience and measurement features with visitors in the European Economic Area.
- Collect
- Store
- Use
- Activate
What it does
The consent banner tells Google’s tags the visitor’s answer. With consent, tags work normally. Without it, they do not set cookies, and in the advanced setup they send anonymous, cookieless signals instead.
Basic and advanced
In the basic setup, Google’s tags only load after consent, so nothing is sent before a yes. In the advanced setup, tags load straight away and send cookieless pings when consent is declined. Which one fits is a decision for the client, with their legal advice.
Modelled conversions
From cookieless pings and patterns among visitors who did consent, Google estimates the conversions it could not observe directly. That is why reports in Google Ads can show more conversions than were ever tracked one by one.
Key takeaways
- Consent Mode tells Google’s tags what the visitor allowed.
- Basic waits for consent; advanced sends cookieless signals without it.
- Google models the conversions it cannot observe.
For your marketing agency
If a client’s Google Ads numbers dropped after a banner change, Consent Mode is the first place to look. Knowing how it works saves a week of guessing.