Explanation & step-by-step
Google Consent Mode v2: how to set it up, test it and verify it
Google Consent Mode v2 is the signal your website sends to Google about whether a visitor has consented to advertising and analytics cookies. It determines whether Google Ads and GA4 may use that data in full. Since March 2024 it has been effectively required for advertisers who want to keep using remarketing and conversion measurement in the EEA.
The heart of it is the order: the consent signal must be in place before your Google tags fire. If it lands after them, the tag already ran without consent — you lose data and you are not compliant.
How do I set up Google Consent Mode v2?
- 1
Set the default to 'denied' — before your tags load
Place the Consent Mode defaults (ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization set to 'denied') at the very top of the <head>, before Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics or Google Ads load. This is the step that goes wrong most often.
- 2
Show the cookie banner and let the visitor choose
The visitor accepts or rejects. If they reject, your Google tags keep running in cookieless mode (they fire, but without setting cookies).
- 3
Send the update on consent
When the visitor clicks 'accept', you send a consent 'update' with the relevant signals set to 'granted'. Only then may Google use the data in full for measurement and advertising.
- 4
Verify the signal comes before the tags
Use Google Tag Assistant or GA4 DebugView to confirm the default-denied lands before your tags and the update follows the choice. If the order is wrong, your measurement is skewed and you are not compliant.
Is my Consent Mode v2 set up correctly?
Run through these five points. If one of them is off, you are leaking data or you are not compliant.
- The default 'denied' is in place before any Google tag fires — not after.
- All four signals are present: ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization.
- On 'reject', Google tags stay in cookieless mode (no cookies, but anonymised pings).
- On 'accept', you see a consent 'update' to 'granted'.
- url_passthrough and ads_data_redaction are enabled.
Want to quickly check whether the signal is present on your site? Run the free check — no account needed.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I set up Google Consent Mode v2?
- In four steps: (1) set the defaults to 'denied' before your Google tags load, (2) show the cookie banner, (3) send a consent 'update' to 'granted' as soon as the visitor accepts, (4) verify the order with Google Tag Assistant or GA4 DebugView. With the CookieKompas GTM template, steps 1 through 3 happen automatically, without code.
- Is my Consent Mode v2 set up correctly?
- It is right when the default 'denied' lands before your Google tags, all four signals are present, tags stay in cookieless mode on reject, and an update to 'granted' follows on consent. The free check at cookiekompas.nl/scan verifies whether the signal is present on your site.
- Is Google Consent Mode v2 mandatory?
- For advertisers who want to keep using Google remarketing, personalised advertising or conversion measurement in the EEA, Consent Mode v2 has been effectively necessary since March 2024. Without a valid consent signal, Google limits advertising functionality.
- What happens if I do not set it up?
- You lose conversion data in Google Ads and GA4, and Google may limit advertising features such as remarketing and personalised ads. You measure less, and your campaigns optimise on incomplete data.
Consent Mode v2, sorted automatically.
CookieKompas puts the signals in the right order — before your Google tags. From €9.95 per website per month, Dutch-built and EU-hosted.