Implementation GDPR Medium

Consent Mode Implementation

Consent Mode v2 is mandatory for Google advertising in Europe. Implement it wrong and you lose data. Implement it right Advanced mode, proper defaults, all four consent signals and you unlock behavioral modeling that recovers what consent blocks.

6-8 hours

Basic vs Advanced Why It Matters

Google Consent Mode has two implementation approaches, and the difference in data you can recover is massive.

Basic mode blocks all Google tags until the user consents. If they don't consent, Google gets nothing no pings, no signals, no data. Your reports show only consented users, and Google Ads relies on general (not advertiser-specific) models to estimate conversions. For many European sites, this means losing 40-70% of your measurement data.

Advanced mode lets Google tags load immediately, but in a privacy-safe way. Before consent, they send cookieless pings with consent state information no user identification, no cookies, no personal data. Google uses these pings to build advertiser-specific behavioral models that recover the data gap. The result: significantly better conversion modeling, more accurate attribution, and remarketing capabilities that Basic mode can't provide.

We implement Advanced mode correctly. Default consent states fire before any tag loads. CMP consent updates propagate to all Google tags in real-time. All four consent parameters ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, and ad_personalization are configured for your specific consent categories.

Implementation Process

CMP Configuration Audit

We review your current CMP setup consent categories, banner behavior, and how consent signals are communicated. If your CMP has a Consent Mode integration template, we configure it properly. If it doesn't, we build the integration manually.

Default Consent State Configuration

We set up the consent initialization default states for all four parameters (ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization) that fire before any Google tag loads. Regional defaults are configured for EEA vs non-EEA visitors.

Consent Update Integration

When a user interacts with your cookie banner, the consent update command must fire immediately and propagate to all tags. We configure this integration between your CMP and the tag management system.

URL Passthrough & Ads Data Redaction

We enable URL passthrough for cross-page conversion tracking without cookies, and configure ads_data_redaction for when ad_storage is denied. These features improve measurement without compromising privacy.

Testing Across All Consent States

We test every combination: full accept, full deny, partial consent, no interaction. For each state, we verify that Google tags behave correctly sending appropriate pings, respecting storage restrictions, and reporting consent state accurately.

Verification & Documentation

We verify implementation using Google Tag Assistant's consent tab, confirm behavioral modeling eligibility in GA4, and document the entire setup for your team.

Deliverables

Working Consent Mode v2 Implementation Advanced mode with all four consent parameters configured
CMP Integration Your consent platform connected to Consent Mode with proper signal mapping
Regional Default Configuration EEA vs non-EEA consent defaults properly scoped
Testing Report Verification screenshots from Tag Assistant showing correct consent behavior
Behavioral Modeling Verification Confirmation that GA4 and Google Ads are eligible for conversion modeling
Technical Documentation Complete guide for your team on how the integration works

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need a CMP already installed?

Yes. Consent Mode works alongside your CMP it doesn't replace it. If you don't have a CMP yet, we can recommend one and help with the full setup, but that's scoped as a separate engagement.

Is Advanced mode GDPR-compliant?

Advanced mode sends cookieless pings to Google before consent. Whether this is acceptable depends on your legal interpretation. Many DPAs have not taken a definitive position. We implement it technically correctly your legal team should confirm it fits your compliance stance.

Does this work with server-side GTM?

Yes. Consent signals propagate from the web container to the server container. If you have server-side GTM, we ensure consent is respected end-to-end.

What about non-Google tags?

Consent Mode is a Google framework, but the consent architecture we implement works for all tags. Your CMP manages consent for every vendor Google Consent Mode handles the Google-specific behavior within that broader system.

How do we know behavioral modeling is working?

We verify in GA4 that the "Behavioral modeling" indicator is active and that Google Ads shows modeled conversion data. This typically requires meeting a minimum threshold of daily consented users we confirm eligibility.

Prerequisites

• Tag management system access (admin)
• CMP admin access
• Google Analytics 4 property access

Assumptions (for 6-8 hours)

• CMP already deployed and functional
• Google tags managed through TMS
• Standard consent categories (analytics, advertising)