If you manage a website, ensuring cookie compliance is no longer optional – it’s a necessity.
With privacy laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the ePrivacy Directive in effect, businesses must be transparent about their data collection practices and obtain proper user consent. Failing to do so can result in severe penalties, including hefty fines, legal action, and loss of customer trust.
However, navigating the complex world of cookie compliance doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Our cookie checker tool simplifies the process, allowing you to quickly check website cookies, and assess your website’s compliance with privacy laws.
What is a cookie compliance check?
Our cookie compliance check is a free cookie scanner designed to provide website admins and marketers with a quick check of their website’s cookie compliance status.
By simply entering your website’s URL, our tool conducts a cookie compliance check, analyzing the presence of a cookie banner, identifying the types of cookies being used, and assessing whether your website meets legal requirements.
Unlike manual audits that take time and technical expertise, our automatic cookie compliance check delivers instant, actionable insights – no coding required.
Since 1st January 2024, over 3,000 users have used our tool to check website cookie compliance, making it one of the most trusted and widely used tools for cookie compliance.
How to check cookie compliance with our cookie scanner
Cookie banner presence
Does your website display a cookie banner that informs users about data tracking?
Cookie banner provider
If a banner exists, which provider powers it? Is it compliant with GDPR and other regulations?
Complete cookie overview
The tool detects all cookies used on your website, ensuring nothing goes unnoticed.
Pre-consent cookies
Identifies whether any cookies are placed before the user has given explicit consent – this is a common compliance violation.
Unclassified cookies
Flags any cookies that haven’t been properly categorized, helping you ensure full transparency for users.
Reject button availability
Does your cookie banner give users the option to reject tracking easily, or does it nudge them toward consent?
Consent withdrawal options
Checks if users can update, withdraw, or modify their cookie consent settings at any time.
Cookies set after rejection
Ensures that no unauthorized cookies are placed on a user’s device after they opt out of tracking.
Confirms whether your website has a clear and accessible privacy policy detailing your data handling practices.
Trends and insights from Cookie Information’s cookie scanner
When we scan websites using our cookie scanner, we often find common compliance challenges. These trends show that even well-meaning websites can miss important details – usually because of the way cookies and third-party tools behave behind the scenes.
That’s exactly why we offer a compliance check: to help you catch and fix these issues early.
59.08% of websites set cookies before users give consent
More than half of the websites scanned set cookies before users interact with the cookie banner. That’s a serious compliance issue under GDPR and similar laws.
The most common cookies set before consent include:
- sbjs_* (15.45%): Typically used for session tracking and basic analytics.
- _ga* (9.41%) and _ga (8.91%): Google Analytics cookies for tracking user behavior across sessions.
- _fbp (3.23%): A Facebook pixel cookie for ad targeting and cross-site tracking.
This usually happens because many cookies are set automatically by scripts or plugins – not because someone deliberately skips consent. It’s one of the most common things our compliance check can help uncover and fix.
68% of websites don’t respect rejected consent
Another trend we often see is websites that still load tracking cookies even when users say no. About 68% of the websites we scan have this issue.
This usually comes down to how the cookie banner is set up or how external tools are integrated. It’s easy to miss – and another good reason to run a compliance check if you are not 100% sure how your site behaves.
20.84% of websites lack a privacy policy
More than one in five websites we check do not display a privacy policy. Sometimes, it is just a forgotten link or a page not properly connected to the cookie banner.
Having a clear and visible privacy policy is not just about compliance – it also builds trust with your visitors.
93.75% of websites use unclassified cookies
Almost every site we scan has cookies that are not clearly categorized. This often happens when new marketing tools are added to a website without updating the cookie banner settings.
Unclassified cookies make it harder to give users clear information, which is key to getting valid consent. A compliance check can quickly spot these so you can stay on top of things.
How our cookie scanner works
Our cookie scanner operates in a streamlined three-step process:
1. Submit your website
Enter your URL and email address. No account registration required.
2. Automated scanning begins
The tool first verifies that your website loads properly, then scans all cookies and consent mechanisms.
3. Get your report
Including a breakdown of findings and practical recommendations for improvement.
Database of cookie banner providers
Our cookie scanner can identify and analyze banners from 107 different cookie banner providers. This ensures that we not only detect the presence of a cookie banner but also evaluate its compliance with privacy regulations, including whether it offers proper consent mechanisms, rejection options, and withdrawal functionalities.
Comprehensive cookie database
We maintain a regularly updated database of the most commonly used cookies, grouped by category. This ensures that the cookie checker doesn’t miss any cookies used on your website.
Our cookie compliance check identifies cookies used on your website, if they’re set prior to consent or after consent has been rejected. While our cookie database ensures no cookies go undetected, you may want an even deeper dive into your website’s cookies and compliance status.
Want a more detailed overview?
Our advanced website cookie scanner provides deeper insights and gives you a complete picture of your website’s cookies and compliance status. No more guesswork.
With the advanced cookie scanner, you’ll see:
- Which categories your cookies belong to, so you can manage them with confidence.
- Whether they’re first or third-party, ensuring transparency with your users.
- Pre-assigned purpose descriptions, saving you time on manual classification.
Getting started is easy – just create a Cookie Information account and add your domain.
Try it free for 14 days. No credit card required, cancel anytime.
By leveraging these databases, our cookie checker delivers a more accurate, thorough, and informative analysis compared to basic cookie scanners that simply list cookies without context.
Our approach ensures that businesses get actionable insights rather than just raw data, empowering them to take meaningful steps toward compliance.
Why our cookie compliance check stands out
- Fast, free, and reliable: No need for complex manual audits. Get instant results and a clear compliance overview.
- Trusted by thousands: Since January 2024, over 3,000 website owners have used our cookie compliance check to assess and improve their cookie compliance.
- Comprehensive analysis: Our tool goes beyond basic cookie detection to evaluate consent mechanisms, policy transparency, and overall compliance.
- Stay ahead of privacy regulations: Ensure your website is aligned with GDPR, CCPA, ePrivacy, and other evolving data protection laws.
- Easy-to-understand reports: Our cookie compliance check provides clear explanations and actionable steps to enhance your cookie policies.
- Protect your business: Reduce the risk of regulatory fines, legal issues, and reputational damage by addressing compliance gaps proactively.
Ensure cookie compliance on your website today
Don’t leave your website’s privacy compliance to chance. Take advantage of our cookie checker to check website cookies, uncover compliance risks, and implement necessary changes.
With privacy laws tightening worldwide, now is the time to ensure your website meets the highest standards of transparency and data protection.
Try our cookie compliance check now and safeguard your business while fostering trust with your users.
