What is google consent mode V2 and why does It matter?

What is the infamous google consent mode V2?

Imagine your website is a karaoke party, and your visitors are the potential singers wondering whether they want to take the stage (accept or decline cookies). Consent Mode is like the DJ who adjusts the music based on the vibe, gauging whether guests are ready to sing or prefer to stay quietly seated. Google Consent Mode V2 is the upgraded DJ, better equipped to adapt to the crowd's energy and record the best moments... all while respecting everyone's preferences.

Where does consent mode V2 come from?

With the enforcement of Quebec’s Law 25 and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in Europe, compliance has become a crucial issue for major digital players like Google.

Besides adhering to these new regulations, Google aims to avoid ending up in the same trouble as Criteo, which was fined €40 million by the CNIL for violating GDPR. Criteo's fine resulted from failing to obtain proper user consent, not providing clear information about data collection, and lacking adequate security measures.

When Google saw this, they thought: “Wait a minute... We have Google Analytics and Google Ads scripts on tens of millions of websites... We need to comply. NOW!!”

Was there a V1?

Yes! The original Consent Mode was already helpful for navigating complex privacy regulations, but there were two major problems:

1. A significant amount of data was lost, negatively impacting Google Ads campaign performance.
2. Google couldn't leverage the data for its own advertising tools.

An update was necessary. Google introduced Consent Mode V2 to improve the balance between respecting user choices and collecting data essential for websites. Consent Mode V2 enables your site to use aggregated data intelligently, even if users do not explicitly consent to all types of cookies. It’s like being able to gauge the party's atmosphere without recording faces or private conversations a fair compromise between anonymity and accuracy.

What’s new in V2?

With V2, Google made things a bit more sophisticated (and less "robotic"). Here are some key updates:

• Data Optimization: Consent Mode V2 better interprets given (or denied) consents. For example, if a user denies consent for advertising cookies, Google can still estimate conversion volumes using aggregated data.
• Enhanced Flexibility: Google ensures consent settings are now more adaptive. If visitors change their minds (which happens, especially after encountering that persistent cookie banner), Consent Mode V2 adjusts accordingly without losing critical data.
• Legal Alignment: V2 is better aligned with regulations like Law 25, GDPR, and DMA, helping websites stay compliant without too much hassle.

Google consent mode V1 vs. V2

In its beta version (v1), Google Consent Mode collected consented data based on two main parameters:

• ad_storage: Controls the storage of cookies related to marketing and ad targeting.
• analytics_storage: Enables or disables the storage of cookies related to site performance and analytics (e.g., visit duration, number of visitors, etc.).

Version 2 goes further by introducing two new consent signals dedicated to audience creation and remarketing:

• ad_user_data: Governs permissions to send and share user data for advertising and remarketing.
• ad_personalization: Manages consent for personalizing ads based on user data (crucial for enriching audience lists!).

If users do not grant these new parameters, Google cannot create specific audiences or deliver personalized ads.

Basic vs. advanced google consent mode V2

Google Consent Mode V2 also introduced two distinct implementation types: Basic and Advanced.

• Basic Consent Mode: The simplest to implement. In this mode, Google Tags are blocked by default until the user grants consent via the cookie banner. If users reject cookies, Google Analytics loads with reduced functionality, collecting only essential data.

  Basic Consent Mode allows for conversion modeling in Google Ads and Google Analytics but blocks behavioral modeling. Tags remain blocked until consent is granted, ensuring no anonymized data (such as cookieless pings) is sent to Google. While this limits optimization potential, it prevents legal complications related to data collection.

Advanced Consent Mode: This version is more flexible and customizable. Google Tags load even before the consent banner appears. If users reject cookies, anonymized pings are sent to Google, enabling conversion modeling while respecting user privacy.

Advanced Mode also sends cookieless pings with data like IP address (to infer the user’s country), user agent (to identify browser type and device), active URL, and randomly generated information at each page load. This allows Google to model non-consenting user behavior and recover "lost" conversions.

Impact on google ads, GA4, and Law 25

Google Consent Mode V2 significantly impacts Google Ads, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), and Law 25 compliance in Quebec.

Impact on Google Ads

When users deny cookie consent, traditional tracking methods become less effective. With Consent Mode V2, Google Ads can still function by using consent signals to adjust tag behavior. This keeps ad campaigns effective even with limited data. Conversion modeling extrapolates non-consenting user behavior from consenting users, maintaining campaign efficiency.

Remarketing is also affected by this update. With data collection limitations for users rejecting cookies, targeting audiences with personalized ads becomes harder. New strategies leveraging aggregated data and advanced modeling are necessary to continue effectively reaching users.

Impact on GA4

GA4 offers a comprehensive view of user interactions. Consent Mode V2 enhances GA4 by allowing data collection even when users reject cookies. This ensures continued valuable insights without compromising user privacy. Advanced Mode enables sending cookieless pings containing non-identifiable data like location (country), device type, and visit time. This improves behavioral modeling to understand user interactions.

Law 25 compliance

Law 25 imposes high standards for protecting personal information in Quebec. Implementing Google Consent Mode V2 provides businesses an opportunity to align data practices with Law 25 while maintaining marketing performance. This helps businesses avoid potential penalties for non-compliance.

Next steps ...

Data protection and compliance with new regulations like Law 25 and DMA are not just regulatory concerns; they are strategic issues for ensuring user trust and marketing campaign performance. Google Consent Mode V2 offers a framework to remain compliant while continuing to gather valuable data for ad optimization.

At Rablab, we can help you configure Google Consent Mode V2 with consent management platforms (CMP) like Axeptio, ensuring compliance while maximizing results.

Don’t underestimate the importance of compliance. As Criteo's case shows, non-compliance fines can be hefty. Adopting Google Consent Mode V2 is not only a way to stay in regulators' good books but also a strategy to sustain effective marketing in a privacy-focused landscape.

Interested in learning more about Law 25 and how to maximize your cookie consent rate?

Contact us we’d be happy to help you implement a solution tailored to your needs.