Configuring Google Consent Mode v2

Overview

Google Consent Mode v2 is a framework that adjusts the behavior of Google tags (Analytics, Ads, Floodlight) based on user consent status. Announced in November 2023 with enforcement beginning March 2024, Consent Mode v2 introduces two new parameters — ad_user_data and ad_personalization — alongside the existing analytics_storage and ad_storage parameters. For advertisers serving users in the European Economic Area (EEA), implementing Consent Mode v2 is required to maintain measurement and audience capabilities in Google Ads and GA4. Without it, Google will not process EEA user data for remarketing lists or conversion measurement.

Consent Mode v2 Parameters

Parameter Definitions

Parameter	Controls	Default	Description
ad_storage	Advertising cookies	denied	Controls whether advertising-related cookies (gcl*, IDE) can be read/written
ad_user_data	User data for advertising	denied	Controls whether user data can be sent to Google for advertising purposes
ad_personalization	Ad personalization	denied	Controls whether data can be used for remarketing and personalized ads
analytics_storage	Analytics cookies	denied	Controls whether analytics cookies (_ga, _gid) can be read/written
functionality_storage	Functionality cookies	granted	Controls functionality cookies (language preferences)
personalization_storage	Personalization cookies	denied	Controls personalization cookies (recommendations)
security_storage	Security cookies	granted	Controls security-related cookies (authentication, fraud prevention)

Consent State Mapping for Pinnacle E-Commerce Ltd

Map CMP consent categories to Consent Mode parameters:

CMP Category	ad_storage	ad_user_data	ad_personalization	analytics_storage
All rejected (default)	denied	denied	denied	denied
Analytics only	denied	denied	denied	granted
Analytics + Advertising	granted	granted	granted	granted
Analytics + Advertising (no personalization)	granted	granted	denied	granted
All accepted	granted	granted	granted	granted

Implementation

Basic Implementation (Google Tag / gtag.js)

Step 1: Set defaults before any Google tags load

Place this script in the <head> before the Google tag:

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

// Set default consent state — deny all non-essential before user interaction
gtag('consent', 'default', {
  'ad_storage': 'denied',
  'ad_user_data': 'denied',
  'ad_personalization': 'denied',
  'analytics_storage': 'denied',
  'functionality_storage': 'granted',
  'personalization_storage': 'denied',
  'security_storage': 'granted',
  'wait_for_update': 500  // Wait 500ms for CMP to load
});

// Enable URL passthrough for conversion measurement without cookies
gtag('set', 'url_passthrough', true);

// Enable ads data redaction when ad_storage is denied
gtag('set', 'ads_data_redaction', true);
</script>

Step 2: Load the Google tag

<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-PINNACLE123"></script>
<script>
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'G-PINNACLE123');
</script>

Step 3: Update consent state when user interacts with CMP

// Called by the CMP when user makes a consent choice
function updateGoogleConsent(consentState) {
  gtag('consent', 'update', {
    'ad_storage': consentState.advertising ? 'granted' : 'denied',
    'ad_user_data': consentState.advertising ? 'granted' : 'denied',
    'ad_personalization': consentState.personalization ? 'granted' : 'denied',
    'analytics_storage': consentState.analytics ? 'granted' : 'denied'
  });
}

Google Tag Manager Implementation

Step 1: Configure Consent Initialization trigger

In GTM, use the "Consent Initialization — All Pages" trigger type for the default consent tag. This fires before all other triggers.

Default Consent Tag (Consent Initialization trigger):

Setting	Value
Tag type	Google tag: Consent configuration
Action	Default
ad_storage	Denied
ad_user_data	Denied
ad_personalization	Denied
analytics_storage	Denied
Wait for update	500 ms
URL passthrough	Enabled
Ads data redaction	Enabled

Step 2: Configure Consent Update tag

Create a custom HTML tag or use a CMP-specific template that fires on consent change:

Update Consent Tag (Custom Event trigger: consent_update):

Setting	Value
Tag type	Google tag: Consent configuration
Action	Update
ad_storage	{{CMP - Ad Storage Consent}}
ad_user_data	{{CMP - Ad User Data Consent}}
ad_personalization	{{CMP - Ad Personalization Consent}}
analytics_storage	{{CMP - Analytics Storage Consent}}

Step 3: Configure tag consent settings

For each Google tag in GTM, configure the built-in consent checks:

Tag	Required Consent	Additional Consent
GA4 Configuration	analytics_storage	—
GA4 Event	analytics_storage	—
Google Ads Conversion	ad_storage	ad_user_data
Google Ads Remarketing	ad_storage	ad_user_data, ad_personalization
Floodlight Counter	ad_storage	ad_user_data
Floodlight Sales	ad_storage	ad_user_data

Region-Specific Settings

Apply different defaults based on user geography:

// Strict defaults for EEA users
gtag('consent', 'default', {
  'ad_storage': 'denied',
  'ad_user_data': 'denied',
  'ad_personalization': 'denied',
  'analytics_storage': 'denied',
  'region': ['AT', 'BE', 'BG', 'HR', 'CY', 'CZ', 'DK', 'EE', 'FI', 'FR',
             'DE', 'GR', 'HU', 'IE', 'IT', 'LV', 'LT', 'LU', 'MT', 'NL',
             'PL', 'PT', 'RO', 'SK', 'SI', 'ES', 'SE', 'IS', 'LI', 'NO']
});

// Less restrictive defaults for US users (adjust per state law)
gtag('consent', 'default', {
  'ad_storage': 'granted',
  'ad_user_data': 'granted',
  'ad_personalization': 'granted',
  'analytics_storage': 'granted',
  'region': ['US']
});

Conversion Modeling and Cookieless Pings

How Consent Mode Preserves Measurement

When consent is denied, Google tags still send cookieless pings that include:

• Page URL (with ads_data_redaction applied)
• Timestamp
• User agent
• Referrer (if ads_data_redaction is false)
• Aggregate consent state

Google uses these pings, combined with data from consenting users, to build machine learning models that estimate:

• Conversion modeling: Estimated conversions from users who did not consent to ad_storage
• Behavioral modeling in GA4: Estimated user counts and session metrics for non-consenting users

Conversion Modeling Requirements

For Google to generate modeled conversions, Pinnacle E-Commerce Ltd must meet:

Requirement	Threshold
Minimum consented conversions per day	70+ per conversion action
Minimum total conversions per day	100+ per conversion action
Consent Mode implemented for	At least 7 consecutive days
Tag coverage	All conversion-relevant pages

GA4 Behavioral Modeling

GA4 behavioral modeling fills gaps in analytics data:

Requirement	Threshold
Minimum daily consented users	1,000+ per property
Minimum days of data	7+ consecutive days
Consent Mode coverage	All GA4 pageview and event tags

Verification and Debugging

Google Tag Assistant Verification

Use Google Tag Assistant (browser extension) to verify:

1. Default consent fires before tags: Check that consent defaults appear before the Google tag configuration in the Tag Assistant timeline
2. Update consent fires on CMP interaction: Verify consent update events appear when the user interacts with the cookie banner
3. Tag behavior matches consent state: Confirm that GA4 and Ads tags fire (or are blocked) based on consent

Real-Time Debugging

In GA4 DebugView, consent-impacted events display with:

• A "consent" badge showing current consent state
• Missing user/session IDs when analytics_storage is denied
• Cookieless ping indicators

Network-Level Verification

Monitor network requests to https://www.google-analytics.com/g/collect:

Parameter	Consent Granted	Consent Denied
_p (Page ID)	Present	Present
cid (Client ID)	From _ga cookie	Randomly generated per-hit
gcs (Consent State)	G111 (all granted)	G100 (all denied)
gcd (Consent Default)	Present	Present
Cookie set	_ga, _gid	None

EEA Requirements (March 2024)

Google's Digital Markets Act (DMA) compliance requirements:

1. Consent Mode v2 mandatory: All advertisers targeting EEA users must implement Consent Mode v2 to maintain remarketing lists and conversion measurement
2. ad_user_data and ad_personalization required: The two new v2 parameters must be set; omitting them is treated as "denied"
3. Verified CMP recommended: Google recommends using a Google-certified CMP partner for EU consent collection
4. Enhanced Conversions with consent: Enhanced Conversions (first-party data matching) requires ad_user_data = granted

Key References

• Google Consent Mode v2 Documentation — Official implementation guide
• Google Tag Manager Consent Configuration — GTM-specific setup instructions
• Google Ads DMA Compliance Guide (March 2024) — EEA-specific requirements
• EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) Regulation 2022/1925 — Legal basis for Google's consent requirements
• ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC, Article 5(3) — Cookie consent legal basis
• CJEU Case C-673/17 (Planet49) — Active consent requirements applicable to consent mode default states