Cookie Consent Banner Issues

What This Means

Cookie consent banners are required in many jurisdictions to inform users about data collection and obtain their permission before setting non-essential cookies. Issues with consent banners can lead to legal non-compliance and blocked tracking.

Impact:

• Legal fines (GDPR: up to €20M, CCPA: up to $7,500/violation)
• User trust erosion
• Tracking data gaps from improper consent handling
• Browser restrictions when consent isn't properly signaled

How to Diagnose

1. Check Banner Presence

Visit your site in a private/incognito browser window:

• Does a consent banner appear?
• Is it visible without scrolling?
• Does it appear immediately or after delay?

2. Test Consent Functionality

1. Clear cookies and revisit
2. Decline all cookies
3. Check if tracking pixels still fire (use Pixel Helper, GA Debugger)
4. Verify consent preference is saved

3. Network Tab Analysis

1. Open DevTools > Network
2. Reload page
3. Check which requests fire BEFORE you interact with consent banner
4. Analytics/advertising requests should wait for consent

4. Cookie Inspection

1. Open DevTools > Application > Cookies
2. Clear all cookies
3. Reload and observe which cookies set before consent
4. Essential-only cookies should appear pre-consent

General Fixes

1. Implement a Consent Management Platform (CMP)

Popular options:

• Cookiebot
• OneTrust
• TrustArc
• Osano
• Cookie Script
• Quantcast Choice

2. Configure Google Consent Mode

Before your GTM code:

<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}

  // Default to denied
  gtag('consent', 'default', {
    'analytics_storage': 'denied',
    'ad_storage': 'denied',
    'ad_user_data': 'denied',
    'ad_personalization': 'denied'
  });
</script>

Update when consent granted:

gtag('consent', 'update', {
  'analytics_storage': 'granted',
  'ad_storage': 'granted',
  'ad_user_data': 'granted',
  'ad_personalization': 'granted'
});

3. Block Scripts Until Consent

Using GTM:

1. Create Consent Initialization trigger
2. Set marketing tags to require ad_storage consent
3. Set analytics tags to require analytics_storage consent

Manual implementation:

<script type="text/plain" data-cookiecategory="analytics">
  // This script only executes after consent
  // Your analytics code here
</script>

4. Provide Clear Choices

Your consent banner must:

• Offer Accept/Reject with equal prominence
• Not use manipulative design (dark patterns)
• Allow granular consent by category
• Include link to privacy policy
• Allow users to change preferences later

Platform-Specific Guides

Compliance Checklist

• Consent banner appears on first visit
• Users can accept or reject with equal ease
• Granular category options available
• Consent is logged and timestamped
• Preferences can be changed later
• Non-essential scripts blocked until consent
• Consent persists across sessions
• Privacy policy is linked and accessible
• No pre-checked boxes for marketing
• Works across all site pages

Testing Consent Implementation

Using GTM Preview Mode

1. Open GTM Preview
2. Navigate to your site
3. Check which tags fire before consent interaction
4. Grant consent and verify tags fire
5. Revoke consent and verify tags stop

Using Browser Extensions

• GA Debugger: Check if GA fires pre-consent
• Meta Pixel Helper: Check if pixel fires pre-consent
• Tag Assistant: Review all tags firing sequence

Further Reading

• GDPR Compliance
• CCPA Compliance
• Google Consent Mode Documentation