Consent rate optimization: How to get more cookie consents

Blog

Oliver Fich

30/08/2024

Consent rate optimization can help you if you're struggling with low opt-ins, affecting data collection, targeting and personalization. In this article, we present our best tips to ethically optimize your consent rates, and get more users to say "yes" to cookies—without compromising user trust. Let’s get started.

What is consent rate optimization?

Consent rate optimization refers to techniques aimed at increasing the percentage of users who agree to the use of cookies and other tracking technologies through consent banners on websites.

The objective is to ensure that more visitors grant permission to collect data, which is crucial for improving website functionality, personalizing user experiences, and delivering targeted ads.

What are the benefits of consent rate optimization?

Consent rate optimization can help you get and maintain a higher cookie consent rate. More consents to cookies means more users are allowing you to collect data. And for marketers, data is crucial to effective targeting, personalization, and, ultimately, better campaign performance.

So in a way, an increased consent rate could mean a potential increase in revenue and profit. That’s a pretty great incentive if you ask me.

One quick note before we dive in:

Cookie Information strongly advises against using unethical (and often illegal) nudging or “dark patterns” in your cookie banner.

Not only is it wrong, it’s also counterintuitive. Because proper privacy measures and transparency are key to building consumer trust and brand preference, which is one of the main drivers of growth.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into some tips you can use to optimize your consent rate — ethically and legally!

How do you get started with consent rate optimization?

There are different ways of optimizing your cookie banner for improved consent rates. They generally include analysis, design, mobile optimization, communication, and testing.

Here’s how you can do it:

Analyze your current consent rate

Begin by looking at your current consent rate data.

One way to do this is via your analytics tool. Piwik PRO, for instance, allows you to collect advanced multi-dimensional consent statistics (by consent type, region, segment, page, device, etc.). Cookie Information clients can even benefit from a native integration between the two platforms.

You can also use any built-in tool your Consent Management Platform provides — like Cookie Information’s Compliance Dashboard.

Make sure to look at data over a significant period, at least three to six months, to identify real trends. This data lays the foundation for your optimization efforts.

Once you have the data, look for patterns. Are there certain periods when consent rates drop? Are mobile users less likely to give consent compared to desktop users? Break down your data and find these insights.

Knowing how your consent rates compare to industry standards can provide valuable context. For example, if your consent rate is 50%, but the industry average is 70%, it’s clear there is room for improvement.

Optimize your cookie banner design

Design is integral to optimizing your cookie banner consent rate. A well-designed cookie banner can improve the user experience and encourage users to engage with it positively. On the other hand, a poorly designed one may lead to frustration or users bouncing from your site.

Good banner designs are typically visually appealing, clean, and easy to navigate. Buttons and button placement, color schemes and branded elements can all have a major impact on how your users will interact with your cookie banner.

And then there’s the question of placement, which can be tricky. Because you don’t want your banner to be too disruptive to the user experience. But at the same time you want your banner to be sufficiently visible.

So, how should you design your banner?

Best practices for banner design

We recently conducted a study on consent rates among Cookie Information clients in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

Across the 2.000 domains we analyzed, the study identified common traits among the top performers:

They use an ‘Overlay’ banner template.
They have two buttons on the banner: ‘Accept’ and ‘Decline’.
They use different colors for the ‘Accept’ and ‘Decline’ buttons.
They consistently use green for the ‘Accept’ button.

At first glance, the use of an overlay banner template among the top-performing domains may seem counterintuitive: An overlay banner can feel disruptive, as it requires users to make a decision before they can proceed.

However, this is precisely why it works. If users are allowed to ignore the cookie banner, many won’t accept or reject it at all—and no decision is effectively the same as a rejection.

Our findings align with another study by researchers at RWTH Aachen University, which concluded that users tend to favor “low-effort” choices when interacting with cookie banners. Therefore, ensuring all options and settings are easily accessible through prominent, clearly labeled buttons can enhance the user experience.

Optimize your cookie banner for mobile devices

With a growing number of users accessing websites via mobile devices, optimizing your cookie banner for mobile is critical. A banner that works well on desktop may not translate to a mobile screen, where space is limited, and user attention is fragmented.

Mobile-friendly cookie banners should be responsive and adaptable to different screen sizes. They should also be easy to dismiss or interact with, given the limitations of touch screens.

On mobile devices, simplicity is key. Use a compact design that fits neatly within the screen, and ensure that buttons are large enough to be easily tapped. Text should be legible without requiring zooming, and options should be straightforward and clear — which brings us to our next tip:

Use clear and concise language in your banner text

The wording of your cookie consent message is another critical factor. Most users are not lawyers and they need to understand what they are agreeing to. If they do, they are more likely to give consent.

Avoid legal jargon or complicated terms.
Use simple language that anyone can understand.
Explain why you need consent and what users are agreeing to.

Here are some examples:

Instead of “data processing,” say “handling your information.”
Instead of “third-party affiliates,” say “other companies we work with.”
Instead of saying “we collect data to enhance user experience,” say “we use your data to make our site easier for you to use.”

You get the point.

Legal language is meant to be technical, because precision and unambiguity is quite important in a legal context. So discussing any changes with your lawyer is probably a good idea. But it is possible to make your cookie banner read slightly less like a contract. And that makes it way easier for “regular” people to understand.

Be transparent and give users control

Transparency and user control are actually quite fundamental when it comes to consent rate optimization.

I understand that you may feel as if giving your users full transparency into your use of cookies, trackers, and data collection is not in your best interest.

However, remember the study I mentioned earlier? Well, the researchers also found that undisclosed cookie usage reduced user trust – while fully disclosed cookie usage had more or less no negative effects.

Therefore: explain the purpose of each cookie type and how long they will be stored on the user’s device. Include examples to illustrate how cookies enhance their experience, such as by remembering login details or personalizing content.

Giving users the ability to easily manage their cookie preferences through a user-friendly interface is essential. Rather than forcing an all-or-nothing decision, allow them to choose the types of cookies they wish to accept.

Build trust by showing you respect privacy

Giving users control is part of being transparent. But what really moves the needle is making people feel safe.

That starts with how you explain things. Use natural, easy-to-understand language. Avoid vague phrases like “improve performance”—say what data you collect and why.

Also, don’t hide the “Reject” option. Make it clearly visible and just as easy to tap as “Accept”. Sure, it might feel like you’re giving people a way out—but in reality, this openness builds trust and increases the chance they’ll say yes.

And finally, make it easy to revisit or change choices later. A small privacy icon in the footer that opens the banner again goes a long way.

Test and refine your banner

Consent rate optimization is an ongoing process. Regularly test different designs, messages, and consent options to see what works best for your audience.

A/B testing means showing two (or more) versions of your cookie banner to different visitors and comparing the results. Here are a few ideas for what to test:

The banner layout (top vs bottom, center modal vs full-page overlay)
Wording and tone of the consent message
The presence and design of “Reject all” buttons

Test one thing at a time to isolate the effect. Run each variation long enough to gather enough data for a meaningful result—at least a few thousand banner views per variation. When you find a winner, roll it out. Then test again.

Continuously test and refine your banner based on what works. Optimization is never done, but every small improvement adds up.

Keep optimizing over time

Getting a consent rate you’re happy with is just the beginning. Digital behavior, design trends, and privacy laws change all the time. So your cookie banner should evolve too.

Make it a habit to:

Review your consent rate each month
Spot changes in user behavior—like mobile drop-off or bounce rates
Refresh your banner copy or layout every few months
Stay updated on privacy regulations in your key markets

Think of it like SEO: the more you iterate and improve, the better results you’ll see.

Ready to optimize your consent rates?

With Cookie Information’s CMP, you get a cookie banner that offers all the customization options you need to continually test and improve your cookie consent rate:

Choose from pre-made templates to get started easily.
Then add your colors, logos, custom texts, and play around with different design iterations.
The Compliance Dashboard keeps you updated on your consent rate, so you can verify the results of your banner design tests.

And the best part? You can try it out for free, with no credit card required. If that sounds good to you, go ahead and click the button below.