As digital privacy regulations continue to evolve and tighten globally, businesses face increasing pressure to balance performance marketing needs with user privacy rights. Google’s Consent Mode v2, which became fully available in 2023 and mandatory for certain Google ad products in 2024, represents a critical solution to this challenge. But is Consent Mode v2 mandatory for your business, and why should you implement it?
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What is Google Consent Mode v2?
Google Consent Mode allows websites to adjust how Google tags behave based on user consent status. Version 2 enhances these capabilities with more granular consent options and improved measurement capabilities.
Consent Mode v2 enables your marketing tags to respect user consent choices while still providing valuable conversion data through Google’s advanced modeling techniques. This means you can maintain measurement capabilities even when users haven’t provided consent for cookies.
While Consent Mode v2 became technically mandatory for Google Ads conversion tracking and remarketing in 2024, implementation requirements vary depending on your business location and the specific Google products you use. For businesses operating in regions with strict privacy laws like the EU – under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) –, EEA, or UK, proper implementation is effectively mandatory if you want to continue using Google’s advertising and analytics tools effectively.
Why implement Consent Mode v2?
As third-party cookies continue to phase out and privacy regulations tighten globally, Consent Mode v2 offers a strategic solution that balances measurement needs with legal requirements. The following three key reasons highlight why implementing Consent Mode v2 should be a priority for businesses in 2025, regardless of whether it’s technically mandatory for your specific situation.
If you want to dive deeper into the nitty gritty details of what it is, and how it works, you can read more in our article Consent Mode v2 – for dummies.
1. Conversion modeling: maintain measurement accuracy while respecting user consent
With increasing privacy regulations and browser restrictions on third-party cookies, tracking user journeys has become more challenging. When users decline consent for analytics or advertising cookies, you lose valuable data points.
Very few websites – if any – have a 100% consent rate. This means you don’t have full visibility into customer journeys, behaviour, and conversions in Google Ads and Analytics.
Consent Mode v2 addresses this issue by using Google’s conversion modeling to fill in measurement gaps. When users don’t consent to cookies, Consent Mode v2 still allows Google to receive anonymized pings about conversion events, enabling them to model and estimate the conversions that would otherwise be lost.
Essentially, Google’s modeling extrapolates data and fills in the gaps, offering educated guesses on the behaviour of non-consenting users based on the patterns observed in consenting users.
This modeling can recover up to 70% of the conversion data that would be lost when users decline consent, giving you a much more accurate picture of your marketing performance despite increasing privacy constraints.
2. Avoid disruption to your Google marketing tools
Since March 2024, Google Ads has required advertisers to implement Consent Mode v2 for conversion tracking and remarketing in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom. This requirement has since expanded to other regions with strict privacy laws.
If your business operates in affected regions and hasn’t implemented Consent Mode v2, you may already be experiencing:
- Reduced conversion tracking accuracy
- Limited remarketing capabilities
- Decreased campaign performance
- Possible non-compliance risk
By implementing Consent Mode v2, you ensure continuity in your Google marketing stack functionality, preserving your ability to run effective campaigns while respecting user consent choices.
Visit our Help Center for a comprehensive list of articles dedicated to everything Consent Mode v2.
Additionally, as Google transitions to a cookieless future with its Privacy Sandbox initiatives, Consent Mode v2 represents an important bridging technology that will help your business adapt to the evolving digital advertising landscape.
3.Demonstrate compliance with privacy regulations
Privacy regulations like GDPR in Europe, CCPA/CPRA in California, and similar laws worldwide require businesses to obtain explicit consent before collecting certain types of user data. Non-compliance can result in significant fines and reputational damage.
Consent Mode v2 helps demonstrate your commitment to compliance by:
- Respecting user consent choices at a granular level
- Providing transparent control over data collection
- Creating an audit trail of consent signals
- Adapting tag behavior based on user choices
By implementing Consent Mode v2, you show both users and regulators that you take privacy seriously, which builds trust and reduces compliance risks.
How to implement Consent Mode v2
Implementing Consent Mode v2 requires coordination between your Consent Management Platform (CMP) and Google tags. Here’s a simplified overview of the implementation process:
Follow this Consent Mode v2 checklist:
1. Ensure CMP compatibility
Verify that your CMP supports Consent Mode v2 integration. Cookie Information’s Consent Management Platform fully supports Consent Mode v2 with seamless integration.
2. Update Google tags
Implement the necessary code changes to your Google tags – Google Analytics, Google Ads, Floodlight, etc. – to enable Consent Mode v2.
3. Map consent categories
Ensure your consent categories properly map to Google’s consent types – analytics_storage, ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization.
4. Test implementation
Verify that consent signals are properly transmitted to Google tags and that tags behave as expected based on different consent scenarios.
An easy, automated way to do this is by using our free Consent Mode v2 checker tool.
5. Monitor performance
Regularly check your Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts to ensure conversion tracking continues to function properly.
Is Consent Mode v2 mandatory for your business?
Technically, and according to Google’s EU user consent policy, Google Consent Mode v2 is mandatory for using certain Google products in regions with strict privacy regulations. However, the better question is: can your business afford not to implement it?
Consider these factors:
- Your business location, audiences you’re targeting, and applicable privacy laws
- The Google products you rely on for marketing
- Your need for accurate conversion data
- Your commitment to privacy compliance
For most businesses using Google’s marketing and analytics tools, implementing Consent Mode v2 should be considered essential rather than optional, particularly if you operate in regions with comprehensive privacy regulations.
The implementation deadline for Google Ads conversion tracking and remarketing in the EEA and UK has already passed, making Consent Mode v2 effectively mandatory for businesses in those regions using those specific services. For businesses in other regions, implementation is highly recommended as similar requirements are likely to expand globally.
It's time to implement Google Consent Mode v2
The first thing you need is a Consent Management Platform. Cookie Information is a Certified Google CMP Partner with Gold Status, offering native integration with Consent Mode v2. Right now, you can try it out for free for 14 days.
If you still have questions, contact Cookie Information today to ensure seamless integration while maintaining compliance with privacy regulations. Book a demo to see how our solution works for your specific needs.
How Cookie Information helps with Consent Mode v2
Implementing Google Consent Mode v2 correctly requires technical expertise and a compatible Consent Management Platform. Cookie Information’s solution seamlessly integrates with Google Consent Mode v2, making implementation straightforward and effective.
Cookie Information CMP ensures that:
- User consent choices are properly transmitted to Google tags
- Consent signals comply with regulatory requirements
- Implementation is technically correct and validated
- You maximize the benefits of conversion modeling
Frequently asked questions
While not universally mandatory, Consent Mode v2 is required for using Google Ads conversion tracking and remarketing in regions with strict privacy laws like the EEA and UK. For businesses in other regions, it’s highly recommended as a best practice for balancing measurement needs with privacy compliance.
Without Consent Mode v2, you may experience reduced conversion tracking accuracy, limited remarketing capabilities, and potential compliance risks in regions with strict privacy laws. You’ll also miss out on Google’s conversion modeling, which can recover up to 70% of lost conversion data.
Consent Mode v2 offers more granular consent options, including separation between ad storage, ad personalization, and ad user data. It also provides enhanced measurement capabilities through improved conversion modeling and better integration with Consent Management Platforms.
You need a CMP that specifically supports Consent Mode v2 integration. Cookie Information’s platform is fully compatible with Google Consent Mode v2 and simplifies the implementation process.
Implementation time varies depending on your website complexity and technical resources. With a compatible CMP like Cookie Information, basic implementation can often be completed within days, while more complex setups may take longer.
When properly implemented, Consent Mode v2 should have minimal impact on website performance while significantly improving your marketing measurement capabilities in a privacy-compliant way.
