Consent Mode for Google Ads: EEA, UK and Switzerland

#01Which parameters matter for ads?

A typical default for EEA visitors, set before any Google tag fires:

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

When the visitor accepts, your banner sends an update with the granted values. Check the region list against your legal advice; it is shown here as an example.

#02Basic or advanced?

Which one you use is a legal and privacy decision for your business, not just a marketing one. Bring your privacy lead in.

#03How do you check it works?

Start with the diagnostics on your conversion actions in Google Ads. Google's "Verify your consent signals" page notes that ad_user_data is required for the EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Use Tag Assistant to confirm the default fires before the Google tag and the update fires after a choice.

Our view: consent mode is the plumbing that makes enhanced conversions and modelling legitimate in Europe. Get it right before you rely on lessons 4 and 6.

#04How do you implement consent mode, step by step?

1. Choose a consent platform. If you use a Google-certified consent management platform (CMP), it can send consent mode signals for you. If you maintain your own banner, implement consent mode v2 directly.
2. Set defaults first. The default consent command must run before any Google tag sends data. For EEA, UK and Swiss visitors, defaults are usually denied.
3. Send updates. When the user makes a choice, send an update with the values they chose, for both accept and reject.
4. Keep the choice across pages. Load the stored choice on later pages so you don't fall back to defaults.
5. Decide basic or advanced with your privacy lead.
6. Verify with Tag Assistant and the Google Ads diagnostics.

#05Which setup should you choose?

#06What does each "denied" actually change?

Google's consent mode reference describes the behaviour. In short:

• ad_storage denied: advertising cookies aren't read or written.
• analytics_storage denied: analytics cookies aren't read or written.
• ad_user_data denied: user data isn't sent for advertising, which affects enhanced conversions and tag-based conversion tracking.
• ad_personalization denied: personalised advertising, including remarketing, is disabled for that user.

#07How do you troubleshoot consent?

#08What should you check every quarter?

• Banner changes from the web team, which often break the update call.
• CMP version updates.
• New markets: if you start selling in Switzerland or the UK, they need the same setup.

#09Practitioner hacks for consent

• Test from inside the region. Use a browser profile with no stored consent and check what fires before and after accepting the banner.
• Keep a screenshot record of the banner, the consent default and the update call each time the site changes. It makes later audits quick.
• Agree ownership. Consent usually sits between legal, the web team and marketing. Write down who changes what.
• Review after every CMP or tag update. Banner updates are a common cause of silent breaks.

#10Questions to ask your web team

1. Which consent mode implementation do we use, basic or advanced?
2. Are ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data and ad_personalization all set?
3. What are the defaults before the visitor chooses?
4. How do we test it after a release?

#11A 30-minute audit for this lesson

1. Open the site in a fresh browser profile from an EEA or UK location.
2. Before choosing, check in Tag Assistant which consent defaults are set.
3. Decline, then check what tags send; accept, then check again.
4. Confirm ad_user_data and ad_personalization are present.
5. In Google Ads, check the diagnostics for consent mode on your tags.
6. Write down the mode (basic or advanced) and who owns the banner.

#12Key terms

#13Common scenarios and fixes

Conversions fell in the UK after a banner redesign. Diagnosis: The new banner no longer sends the consent update after acceptance, so tags stay in denied state. Fix: Test accept and decline in Tag Assistant, restore the update call, and add a data exclusion for the affected days (lesson 11).

Remarketing lists stopped growing in Germany. Diagnosis: ad_personalization is missing or always denied. Fix: Map the banner's marketing choice to ad_personalization and test again.

#14Worked example: Ledgerline's EU rollout

Ledgerline is a fictional accounts-payable software company. Details and numbers are illustrative.

Ledgerline expanded to Germany and the Netherlands. Its banner used a certified consent platform, but the team found the reject path sent no update at all. Fixing it restored consent states for rejecting users. Legal chose advanced mode after a review, and the team noted the date of the change so any shift in modelled conversions could be explained in the monthly review (lesson 20).

Walkthrough: how Ledgerline tested its banner

The team used Tag Assistant on three paths:

1. First visit, no choice. Defaults fired before the Google tag, all denied for EEA visitors.
2. Accept all. An update fired with all four parameters granted, and the demo conversion recorded normally.
3. Reject all. An update fired with all four denied. The first version of the banner sent nothing on reject; the web team fixed it before launch.

They added a quarterly check to the review routine (lesson 20) because the banner is owned by another team.

#15Try it yourself

1. Open your site in Tag Assistant from an EEA location or with a VPN.
2. Test first visit, accept and reject. Record which consent commands fire and when.
3. Check that ad_user_data and ad_personalization appear in defaults and updates.
4. Open the diagnostics for your main conversion action and note any consent warnings.

#16Quick quiz

1. Which parameter is required for enhanced conversions?

Answer: ad_user_data.

2. Which regions does Google say require ad_user_data?

Answer: The EEA, the UK and Switzerland.

3. What is the main difference when a user declines in basic vs advanced mode?

Answer: In basic mode nothing is sent; in advanced mode tags send the consent state and cookieless pings.

#17What should you check before the next lesson?

• Confirm your banner or consent platform supports consent mode v2.
• Test accept and reject paths in Tag Assistant.
• Check consent status in Google Ads conversion diagnostics.
• GA4 users: compare with GA4 Consent Mode v2: Basic vs Advanced.

Next: Using GA4 key events in Google Ads. Or return to the Google Ads for Marketers track.

#18Common questions

Is consent mode required for Google Ads? For traffic from the EEA, Google's EU user consent policy requires you to collect consent and pass consent signals to keep using measurement, ad personalisation and remarketing features. Google's consent verification page also lists the UK and Switzerland.

What is the difference between basic and advanced consent mode? Basic blocks Google tags until the user interacts with the banner and sends nothing if they decline. Advanced loads tags with denied defaults and sends cookieless pings, which allows advertiser-specific modelling.

Does consent mode give me a cookie banner? No. Consent mode reads the choice from your banner or consent platform and adjusts how Google tags behave.