Guides · · 2 min read
Consent Mode v2 and cookie banners: a practical GDPR guide for SMBs in 2026
What Google's Consent Mode v2 is, what EU cookie rules require (GDPR and ePrivacy) and how to set it up without losing your campaign tracking.
If your website uses Google Analytics, Google Ads, the Meta pixel or any tracking tool, you have two obligations that go together: ask for consent properly and tell Google what each visitor accepted. The second is Consent Mode v2. Get the first wrong and you risk complaints; get the second wrong and your campaigns run half-blind.
What EU rules require
- ePrivacy rules (in Spain, article 22.2 of the LSSI): non-essential cookies (analytics, advertising, social) need prior consent.
- GDPR: consent must be freely given, unambiguous and provable, and easy to withdraw.
- Regulator guidance (for example the Spanish AEPD): rejecting must be as easy as accepting, on the first layer, and no non-essential cookies may load before the user chooses.
Is your website compliant? The free audit checks for analytics, a cookie banner and Tag Manager loading without one.
Check my website free →Consent Mode v2 in plain words
It’s the translator between your cookie banner and Google’s tools. When a visitor accepts or rejects, your site sends four signals:
| Signal | Controls |
|---|---|
analytics_storage |
Analytics cookies (GA4) |
ad_storage |
Advertising cookies (Google Ads) |
ad_user_data |
Whether user data may be sent to Google for ads |
ad_personalization |
Whether it may be used for remarketing and personalised ads |
The last two are new in version 2. Since March 2024 Google requires them to keep using measurement, audiences and remarketing with EEA users.
Basic or advanced mode
| Basic | Advanced | |
|---|---|---|
| Before the choice | Google tags don’t load | Load with everything denied |
| If the user rejects | Nothing is measured | Cookieless signals are sent |
| Data recovered | Less | Google models conversions from rejecters |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
Correct setup, step by step
- Compliant banner: “Accept”, “Reject” and “Settings” on the first layer, with separate categories.
- Default denied: all signals
deniedbefore the user chooses. - Tag Manager respecting consent: GA4, Google Ads, Meta or Clarity fire only with the matching category.
- Update consent on accept/reject and remember it on later visits.
- Tracked conversions: forms, calls, WhatsApp and purchases in GA4 and Google Ads.
- Test in Tag Manager preview that nothing loads early.
Common mistakes we find in audits
- A banner with only “Accept”, or “Reject” hidden on a second screen.
- Tag Manager installed without a banner, or the banner loading after the tags.
- Consent Mode v1 (no
ad_user_dataorad_personalization). - Meta pixel or session-recording tools loading before consent.
- No conversions configured: traffic is measured, customers aren’t.
How Ekualia handles it
Our Start plan includes a full compliance review and fix: cookies, GDPR, Consent Mode v2, legal pages, basic accessibility and AI disclosure. Want a deep dive first? The Compliance and Tracking Audit costs €490 and is deducted if you then take a plan. For a quick snapshot, the free audit takes 30 seconds.
This guide is informational and doesn’t replace legal advice for your specific case.
Frequently asked questions
What is Consent Mode v2?
A Google feature for GA4, Google Ads and Tag Manager that receives the visitor's cookie choice and adapts what is measured. Version 2 adds two signals, ad_user_data and ad_personalization, required to use audiences and ad personalisation with users in the European Economic Area.
Is Consent Mode v2 mandatory?
The law requires consent for non-essential cookies. Consent Mode v2 is what Google has required since March 2024 to keep using measurement, remarketing and audience features with EEA users. If you advertise on Google, you need it.
What's the difference between basic and advanced mode?
In basic mode, Google tags don't load until the visitor accepts. In advanced mode they load with everything denied and, if the visitor rejects, send cookieless signals that Google uses to model conversions. Advanced recovers more data but must be configured carefully.
How does your website score?
Audit it free in 30 seconds: over 20 business and technical checks, and what to fix first.
