What should a cookie consent banner say?

A good cookie banner says just enough to be honest and gives a genuine choice, no more. Overlong legal essays and dark-pattern nudges both backfire. Here is what to include, what to avoid, and a clean example.

What a banner needs to cover

• A plain line saying you use cookies, including for analytics and, if relevant, advertising.
• Why, briefly: to make the site work, understand usage, and improve or measure ads.
• A clear Accept and an equally clear Reject.
• A way to see more options or manage preferences.
• A link to your cookie or privacy policy for the detail.

Wording that works

Keep it human. Something like: “We use cookies to run this site, understand how it’s used, and improve our ads. You can accept all, reject non-essential, or choose. See our cookie policy.” Short, honest, and it gives a real choice, which is exactly what the rules want.

Wording and design to avoid

• A big Accept button next to a greyed-out or hidden Reject, regulators treat this as invalid consent.
• Pre-ticked boxes for analytics or advertising.
• Vague lines like “we value your privacy” with no real choice.
• Walls of text nobody reads, the detail belongs in the policy, not the banner.

The part most people forget

The wording is only half of it. The banner must be connected to your tags so the words are true: if it says declining stops advertising cookies, declining must actually stop them. A banner whose buttons do nothing to the tags is both non-compliant and misleading, however nice the copy is.

Compliant and still measuring

Paired with Google’s Consent Mode, a clear banner lets you honour every choice and still recover modelled data from those who decline. That is how you keep the wording honest and your analytics useful at the same time.

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