Consent mode

Manage how Google tags respond to customer consent choices while supporting measurement, conversion modelling and advertising optimisation.

What it is

Google Consent Mode connects a user’s consent choices with the way Google Analytics, Google Ads and other Google tags behave.

It uses consent signals including ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data and ad_personalization to determine whether cookies can be stored, advertising data can be used and personalised advertising can be delivered.

Consent Mode can be implemented using Basic or Advanced mode. Basic Consent Mode blocks Google tags until consent is granted, while Advanced Consent Mode allows limited, consent-aware signals to be sent when consent isn’t granted, which can support conversion and behavioural modelling.

The right setup depends on your consent framework, measurement requirements and the way your organisation uses Google’s advertising and analytics platforms.

Why it matters

Consent directly affects the amount of customer behaviour organisations can observe and the signals available to measurement and advertising platforms.

As privacy requirements and browser restrictions evolve, more customer journeys contain gaps where traditional tracking can’t provide a complete picture.

Google Consent Mode helps determine how Google’s platforms respond to those gaps and where modelling can be used to provide additional measurement.

But implementing Consent Mode isn’t simply a matter of switching it on. The way your CMP, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics and advertising platforms are configured determines whether customer choices are being respected and whether the right signals are available for measurement and optimisation.

What Louder does

Consent design - mapping CMP categories to Consent Mode signals, configuring banner behaviour, defining defaults for first-time visitors.
Implementation - Consent Mode in GTM Web and Server, GA4 alignment, Google Ads alignment, Meta & TikTok consent signals.
Auditing - verifying the signal that actually leaves the page matches the consent the user gave.
Modelling validation - comparing modelled conversions against observed performance to understand what Google is actually inferring.
Documentation - a consent matrix the legal, marketing and data teams can all reference.

Common challenges

CMP says yes, signal says no. The banner shows the user consented, but the Consent Mode signal sent to Google still says denied. This is the single most common implementation defect we see.
Basic mode by default. Teams adopt Consent Mode in basic configuration and then wonder why bidding performance degraded. Advanced mode preserves modelling capability.
No documentation. Six months later, nobody on the team can explain what each consent category does. Changes get made in the CMP that silently affect measurement.
Treating it as a legal task. Consent Mode is a measurement configuration with legal implications, not a legal configuration with measurement implications. The team that owns it must understand both.
Forgetting non-Google platforms. Meta, TikTok and Reddit all have their own consent expectations. A Consent Mode implementation that only covers Google leaves the rest exposed.