Cookie consent and privacy guides

Are cookie banners legally required? UK and EU rules

Whether you legally need a cookie banner depends on the cookies you set and where your visitors are. A plain-English summary of the UK and EU rules, without the legalese.

Are cookies safe?

Mostly, yes.

Are third-party cookies going away? Where it stands

The third-party cookie story has been full of U-turns. Here is where it actually stands, why it barely matters for your plans, and what to do about it now.

Can one consent setup cover GDPR, PECR and CCPA at once?

If you sell across the UK, EU and US, you are under three different regimes with genuinely different rules.

Can you be fined for your cookie setup?

Yes, in principle, cookie and consent breaches can carry fines, and some have been large.

Can you track before consent if you anonymise it?

It is a tempting loophole: if you strip out anything identifying, surely you can measure people before they consent? Sometimes, within limits, but the line is finer than most assume, and getting it wrong is still a breach.

Can you track users who reject cookies?

When visitors reject cookies you cannot track them individually, but you are not left blind. Here is what you can still measure legally, and how modelling fills the gap.

Consent Mode vs a cookie banner: what's the difference?

A cookie banner and Google Consent Mode are two different things that work together. Here is what each does, why you need both, and how they connect.

Cookie consent banner examples that actually work

Good and bad cookie banner examples, what separates a compliant, high-consent banner from a dark-pattern one, and a template you can adapt.

Cookieless tracking explained

Cookieless tracking is how you keep measuring as third-party cookies disappear. Here is what it really means, the methods involved, and an honest view of what it can and can't do.

Do you have to accept cookies? (No, and here is why)

You do not have to accept non-essential cookies. Here is what the law says, what happens when you decline, and when a site can still use cookies without asking.

Do you need a cookie banner on your website?

Whether your website legally needs a cookie banner depends on what cookies you set and who visits. Here is a clear rule of thumb and what a compliant banner must do.

Do you need Consent Mode to run Google Ads in the EU?

Short answer: effectively yes.

First-party vs third-party cookies (simple guide)

First-party and third-party cookies sound similar but do very different jobs. Here is the difference in plain English and why it matters for privacy and tracking.

Google Consent Mode v2 explained

Consent Mode v2 in plain English: what the consent signals do, why Google now requires it for EEA/UK ads features, and how to set it up without throwing away measurable data.

How cookie consent quietly breaks your tracking

Cookie banners are one of the biggest hidden causes of missing data. Here’s how a badly wired consent setup blocks your tags, and how to stay compliant without going blind.

How to clear cookies (and what happens when you do)

A simple guide to clearing cookies in Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, what it fixes, and what you'll need to log back into afterwards.

How to prove you collected valid consent if audited

Under GDPR you do not just have to get consent, you have to be able to demonstrate it.

How to track conversions without cookies

A practical, honest guide to tracking conversions as cookies disappear: the four methods that work, in what order to adopt them, and what to expect from each.

Is Google Analytics legal under GDPR?

A few years ago several EU regulators ruled specific Google Analytics setups unlawful, and headlines declared GA banned.

Is your cookie banner actually compliant?

A cookie banner that looks professional can still be breaking the law, and most do.

Is your cookie banner blocking Google Analytics?

A cookie banner is supposed to control your tags, but many block Google Analytics entirely or fail to pass consent. Here is how to tell, and how to fix it.

Should you accept cookies? A plain-English guide

A clear, honest answer to whether you should accept cookies on a website: what they actually do, when it is fine to accept, and when it is smarter to decline.

What are cookies?

A cookie is just a small text file a website stores in your browser so it can remember something about you between page loads or visits.

What does 'accept cookies' actually mean?

'Accept cookies' means giving a site permission to store small files that remember you. Here is what that really involves, what you're agreeing to, and what you're not.

What happens if you don't accept cookies?

Declining cookies is allowed and usually harmless. Here is exactly what changes when you don't accept, what still works, and the rare times a site may behave differently.

What happens when you accept cookies on a website

Clicking Accept on a cookie banner has specific, limited effects. Here is exactly what happens, what cookies can and cannot do, and what changes for your privacy.

What is 'Do Not Track'?

Do Not Track was a browser setting that sent websites a polite signal asking them not to track you.

What is a cookie banner?

A cookie banner is the message that appears when you land on a site, asking whether you accept its cookies.

What is a cookie policy?

A cookie policy is a page that lists the cookies your website uses, what each one is for, and how long it lasts.

What is a session cookie?

A session cookie is a cookie with no expiry date, so your browser deletes it the moment you close it.

What is CCPA?

The California Consumer Privacy Act gives people in California rights over the personal data businesses hold about them, including the right to opt out of their data being sold or shared.

What is GDPR?

GDPR is the European data-protection law that governs how businesses collect and use people's personal data.

What is PECR?

PECR, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, is the UK law that specifically covers cookies, electronic marketing and similar technologies.

What is tracking consent?

Tracking consent is the permission a visitor gives for you to use analytics and marketing cookies.

What should a cookie consent banner say?

A good cookie banner is short, honest and gives a real choice. Here is what to include, what wording to avoid, and an example that is both compliant and clear.

Which of your cookies count as "strictly necessary"?

Strictly necessary cookies are the only ones you can set without consent, so it is tempting to label everything that way.

Why Consent Mode isn't working after you set it up

You added Consent Mode, ticked the box in your banner, and assumed it was done.

Why Consent Mode v2 stopped your ads tracking

You enabled Consent Mode v2 because Google required it for EU ads, and your Google Ads conversions fell off a cliff.

Why does every website ask about cookies now?

Cookie banners appeared everywhere because of privacy laws like GDPR and PECR. Here is the real reason, why it happened when it did, and what the banners are actually for.

Why your "reject" button might make your banner illegal

The single most common cookie-banner failure is also the easiest to spot: a big, bright "Accept all" and a reject option that is hidden, greyed out, or two clicks deeper.

Why your analytics dropped after adding a cookie banner

Added a cookie banner and watched your GA4 traffic fall off a cliff? Here is exactly why it happens, how much is normal, and how to recover the lost data legally.

Why your cookie banner breaks tracking on mobile only

Your numbers look fine on desktop, then you notice mobile conversions are oddly low.

Why your visitors' consent choice isn't being remembered

The banner pops up on every visit, sometimes every page, no matter how many times someone clicks accept.

Why your cookie banner shows twice (and how to fix it)

Two cookie banners stacked on the same page looks broken and annoys visitors. Here is why a double cookie banner happens and how to track down and remove the duplicate.

Is your cookie banner slowing your site down?

Heavy consent tools can add real load time and hurt Core Web Vitals. Here is how a cookie banner slows your site, how to measure it, and how to keep consent without the drag.

Cookie banner causing layout shift or flicker? Fix the CLS

A banner that pops in late and pushes your content around hurts Cumulative Layout Shift and looks broken. Here is why it happens and how to stop the flicker.

Do I need a cookie banner if I only use Google Analytics?

Running just Google Analytics and no ads? You very likely still need consent. Here is why GA4 counts as non-essential, what the law says, and the practical setup.

Do I need a cookie banner if I don't run ads?

Not running ads does not get you out of consent. Here is what actually triggers the need for a cookie banner, and the few genuinely exempt sites.

Do embedded YouTube videos need cookie consent?

Embedding a YouTube video can drop tracking cookies before a visitor consents. Here is when that is a problem, how privacy-enhanced mode helps, and how to stay compliant.

Do Google Fonts need consent? The GDPR question, explained

A German court fined a site for loading Google Fonts from Google's servers without consent. Here is what that means, whether it applies to you, and the simple fix.

Does a contact form need cookie consent?

A plain contact form usually does not need cookie consent, but the data still falls under GDPR, and spam tools or embeds can change the answer. Here is the clear line.

Cookies still load after clicking "reject all"? Here's why

If cookies still set after a visitor rejects, your banner is decorative, not functional, and that is a compliance risk. Here is why it happens and how to actually block them.

Cookie consent for a Shopify store, explained

Shopify has built-in consent tools, but they need setting up correctly to actually gate your pixels and GA4. Here is how cookie consent works on Shopify and the common gaps.

Cookie consent for WordPress, explained

WordPress consent plugins are easy to install and easy to misconfigure. Here is how cookie consent should work on WordPress and the settings that leave tags firing early.

Do I need cookie consent for US visitors?

US privacy law is opt-out, not opt-in like the EU, so the cookie rules are different. Here is what you actually need for US visitors, state by state, in plain English.

How to increase your cookie consent opt-in rate (legally)

More opt-ins means more data you are allowed to use. Here is how to raise your consent rate with honest banner design, without the dark patterns that break the law.

Why your cookie consent rate varies so much by country

Opt-in rates differ wildly between countries, and it is not random. Here is what drives the variation, why it skews your data by region, and what you can do about it.

What is a CMP (Consent Management Platform)?

A CMP is the tool that shows your cookie banner, records choices and tells your tags what they're allowed to do. Here is what a CMP does and whether you need one.

Consent Mode basic vs advanced, explained

Google Consent Mode has two implementations, basic and advanced, and they behave very differently on a decline. Here is the difference and which one to use.

Do heatmap tools (Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity) need consent?

Heatmap and session-recording tools capture behaviour and often personal data, so most need consent. Here is where they sit under GDPR and how to set them up compliantly.

Does Google Tag Manager itself need consent?

GTM is a tag loader, not a tracker, so the container usually does not need consent, but the tags inside it do. Here is the distinction that trips people up.

How to test that Consent Mode is actually working

A Consent Mode setup can look fine and still be wrong. Here is how to test it properly, with the browser tools and the exact signals to check on accept and reject.

Cookie consent for Squarespace, explained

Squarespace has a built-in cookie banner, but it has limits and does not gate every tool you add. Here is how cookie consent works on Squarespace and where it falls short.

Cookie consent for Wix, explained

Wix has a cookie consent banner and a consent API, but your custom tracking has to actually use them. Here is how cookie consent works on Wix and the common gaps.

How long should cookie consent last before you re-ask?

Ask too often and you annoy visitors; too rarely and consent goes stale. Here is the common guidance on how long consent should last and how to handle re-consent.

Is IP anonymisation enough for GDPR? (GA4)

GA4 anonymises IPs by default, and people assume that makes it GDPR-safe. It helps, but it is not the whole story. Here is what IP anonymisation does and does not cover.

Are cookie walls and "pay or consent" legal?

A cookie wall forces visitors to accept tracking to see your site. Here is where cookie walls and 'pay or consent' models stand legally, and the safer alternative.

What happens to Google Ads remarketing without consent

No consent means no remarketing cookies, so your audiences shrink and your retargeting weakens. Here is exactly what breaks and how to keep remarketing alive compliantly.

Do logged-in users still need a cookie banner?

Members, account holders and logged-in users still need consent for non-essential cookies, but the essentials are exempt. Here is how consent works inside a logged-in area.