This article is for people who already have a consent solution on their website or app and want to send the user consent to Google.
Before you begin
Before you can configure Google consent mode, make sure you have a mechanism to obtain user consent, for example, a banner on your website.
In this article, you will learn:
- The difference between basic consent mode and advanced consent mode
- How to set up consent mode, depending on your existing infrastructure
Basic vs advanced consent mode
You can implement consent mode on your website or app in either of two ways: basic or advanced.
Basic consent mode
When you implement consent mode in its basic version, you prevent Google tags from loading until a user interacts with a consent banner. This setup transmits no data to Google prior to user interaction with the consent banner. When the user grants consent, Google tags load and execute the consent mode APIs. The tags send the consent states to Google in the following order:
- Send default consent states.
- Send updated consent states.
However, when the user doesn’t consent, no data is transferred to Google at all – not even the consent status. Google tags are completely blocked from firing. Consent mode's conversion modeling in Ads is then based on a general model.
Advanced consent mode
When you implement consent mode in its advanced version, Google tags load when a user opens the website or app. The tags load the consent mode API and do the following:
- Set default consent states. By default, consent will be denied, unless you set your own defaults.
While consent is denied, the Google tags send cookieless pings. - Wait for user interaction with the banner and update consent states.
Only when a user grants consent to data collection, Google tags send the full measurement data. Learn more about tag behavior.
This implementation enables improved modeling compared to the Basic one as it provides an advertiser-specific model as opposed to a general model.
Overview
Feature |
Basic consent mode |
Advanced consent mode |
---|---|---|
Tag loading |
Blocked until user interaction with a consent banner. |
Loads with defaults set to denied, unless configured otherwise. |
Data transmission |
No data is sent before a user consents - not even the default consent status. |
When consent is denied, consent state and cookieless pings are sent. |
Consent states |
Set after user interaction. |
Defaults set to denied, unless configured otherwise; updates based on user choice. |
Tag behavior after user interaction |
Loads and executes consent mode APIs only when a user grants consent. |
Adjusts tag behavior based on user consent choice. |
Conversion modeling |
General model (less detailed modeling). |
Advertiser-specific model (more detailed modeling). |
How to set up consent mode
How you set up consent mode depends on your infrastructure.
Websites: Set up consent mode with a consent management platform (CMP) partner
After you have installed a CMP partner banner on your website, you can either use basic consent mode or advanced consent mode.
Learn more about how to Set up your consent banner with a consent management platform or a content management system.
To simplify the deployment of consent banners and consent mode, you can use an integrated CMP partner for setup. This allows you to deploy a banner and implement consent mode within the Google tag user interface with just a few clicks. Learn more about using an integrated CMP partner to set up your consent banner and consent mode
Set up basic consent mode
The following list links to documentation for specific CMPs. If your instructions for your CMP aren’t listed, contact your CMP representative or support team for help.
Consent Management Platforms (CMP)
Set up advanced consent mode
When you use a banner offered by a CMP, you usually have to log in to the CMP’s website and configure the banner. Many banners have a setting to block tags from Google before any consent was given.
To use advanced consent mode with a CMP banner, check if the banner settings block Google tags. Learn how to unblock tags with a CMP.