Consent Mode v2: set up correctly?
With Consent Mode your website tells Google's tags what the visitor agreed to. Since March 2024 Google needs four signals for this in the EEA (version 2), or features like retargeting drop out (Google calls it “remarketing”). Two moments matter: the default state before the choice and the update afterwards.
How you notice
- Google Ads shows a notice about consent mode.
- Retargeting lists in Google Ads stop growing or stay empty.
- GA4 numbers drop sharply after the cookie banner was changed.
Common causes
No default state
Before any Google tag loads, the default must be set, usually “denied”. If it's missing or comes too late, the tags work on wrong assumptions.
No update after consent
The banner stores the choice but doesn't pass it on to Google. The state then stays “denied” for good.
Two signals instead of four
Older setups only set ad_storage and analytics_storage. Version 2 also needs ad_user_data and ad_personalization.
How to check it yourself
- 01Open Google Tag Assistant (tagassistant.google.com), click Add domain, enter your address and click Connect.
- 02Tag Assistant shows the consent state for every event. Before the choice the four signals should be denied.
- 03Accept in the banner and check that the signals switch to granted.
- 04Without Tag Assistant: developer tools (F12), Network panel, filter g/collect. The gcs parameter shows the state: G100 means both denied, G111 both granted.
How to fix it
- Use a cookie banner with a Google Consent Mode integration and turn it on in its settings.
- Set the default state before all Google tags, in Google Tag Manager for example with a Consent Initialization trigger.
- Make sure all four signals are set and updated after the choice.
Let it be checked automatically
On every check Trackneat reads the Consent Mode state before and after consent and tells you when Consent Mode is missing, only two of the four signals are set, “granted” is reported before consent or the update after consent doesn't happen.
The free check shows you in about a minute which tracking tags run on your website and whether anything fires before cookie consent. No account needed.