Google Consent Mode
Google Consent Mode is a way for websites and apps to pass each visitor's cookie consent choices to Google tags, so that Google Ads and Google Analytics adjust what they store and collect. Version 2, introduced in November 2023, added two signals: ad_user_data and ad_personalization.
What changed in Consent Mode v2?
Google added the two new parameters as it strengthened enforcement of its EU user consent policy, which covers users in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland. From March 2024, advertisers in the EEA still using version 1 had their ad_storage value automatically mapped to ad_user_data, but ad_personalization was not mapped, so audience and remarketing features needed a proper upgrade.
- ad_storage: whether advertising cookies and identifiers can be used
- analytics_storage: whether analytics cookies can be used
- ad_user_data: whether user data can be sent to Google for advertising
- ad_personalization: whether data can be used for personalised advertising
Basic or advanced?
In basic consent mode, Google tags do not load until the visitor responds to the consent banner, and nothing is sent if they decline. Google Ads then models missing conversions from a general model.
In advanced consent mode, tags load straight away and send cookieless pings while consent is denied. That allows an advertiser-specific model, which Google describes as more detailed. Modelling only applies once a site passes a data threshold, and Google's impact reporting needs at least seven full days of data.
How to check it works
Test both answers on the banner. Default consent states should be set before any Google tag fires, and an update should be sent the moment a visitor accepts. A consent management platform that supports version 2 handles most of this.
Example
A UK fashion retailer's banner previously blocked Google tags entirely until visitors accepted. Moving to advanced consent mode means tags send cookieless pings for visitors who decline, so Google Ads can model conversions from those sessions while still respecting the refusal.
Related terms
Further reading
Our Pay Per Click service puts this into practice for brands in the UK and US.
