What Is Google Consent Mode V2? How to Implement It

• Consent Mode V2 has been mandatory since March 2024 for any website serving EEA or UK users while running Google Ads or GA4.
• V2 introduces two new parameters–ad_user_data and ad_personalization-alongside the existing ad_storage and analytics_storage.
• Two implementation modes exist: Basic (tags don’t load until consent is given) and Advanced (tags load immediately and send anonymized signals for conversion modeling).
• Data modeling in Advanced mode can recover up to 70% of lost ad-click-to-conversion processes through AI modeling.
• Implementation requires a Consent Management Platform (CMP), default consent states set before tags fire, and consent updates triggered by user interactions.

• Granted: The user has given permission for tracking; all tags function normally.
• Denied: The user has opted out; tags operate in restricted mode, collecting no personal data.

• If consent is granted: Tags run normally, collecting full data.
• If consent is denied: Tags switch to restricted mode. No personal data is collected, but anonymized data (such as traffic sources or page views) may still be gathered.

• A Google tag (gtag.js) installed on every page of your website
• A Consent Management Platform (CMP) or custom consent solution
• For Tag Manager users: a consent mode template or custom implementation

gtag('consent', 'default', {
 'ad_storage': 'denied',
 'ad_user_data': 'denied',
 'ad_personalization': 'denied',
 'analytics_storage': 'denied'
});

gtag('consent', 'default', {
 'ad_storage': 'denied',
 'wait_for_update': 500 // milliseconds to wait for CMP
});

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

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

1. Load the Google tag (gtag.js) with default consent
2. Load your consent solution
3. Update consent when the user makes a choice

<script>
// Define dataLayer and gtag function
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
// Set default consent to 'denied'
gtag('consent', 'default', {
 'ad_storage': 'denied',
 'ad_user_data': 'denied',
 'ad_personalization': 'denied',
 'analytics_storage': 'denied'
});
</script>
<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=TAG_ID"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'TAG_ID');
</script>
<!-- Consent update function -->
<script>
function allConsentGranted() {
 gtag('consent', 'update', {
 'ad_user_data': 'granted',
 'ad_personalization': 'granted',
 'ad_storage': 'granted',
 'analytics_storage': 'granted'
 });
}
</script>
<!-- Call this when user accepts -->
<button onclick="allConsentGranted()">Accept all</button>

• Default consent states are set before tags fire
• Consent updates are triggered correctly
• Tags behave according to consent choices

1. Consent Mode V2 has been mandatory since March 2024 for any website serving EEA/UK users with Google Ads or GA4.
2. Four consent parameters are required:ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, and ad_personalization.
3. Two implementation modes exist: Basic (tags blocked until consent) and Advanced (anonymized pings before consent for modeling).
4. Set default consent before tags fire. The order of execution is critical-defaults must be set before any measurement commands.
5. Use wait_for_update when your CMP loads asynchronously to prevent tags from firing before consent is processed.
6. Advanced mode can recover up to 70% of lost conversions through AI-powered data modeling.
7. Persist consent choices using your own mechanism (cookie or localStorage) so the correct state persists across page loads.

• Google Tag Manager Help Center
• Google Tag Manager Developer Guide
• Google Analytics Consent Mode
• Google Ads and Consent Mode
• Cookiebot’s Guide to Google Consent Mode
• Privacy Policies – GDPR Readiness Checklist