Google tags

Google Consent Mode v2 for WordPress

Consent Mode tells Google’s tags (Analytics, Ads, Tag Manager) what each visitor agreed to, so the tags adjust. Version 2 added two signals for advertising, and Google uses them to decide what it may do with data from visitors in the European Economic Area.

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At a glance

  • Four signals: ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data and ad_personalization
  • It isn’t a banner: it carries your banner’s answer to Google
  • Needed for ad personalization and audiences from EEA visitors

The four consent signals

  • ad_storage: storage such as cookies used for advertising.
  • analytics_storage: storage used for analytics, such as visit duration.
  • ad_user_data: consent to send user data to Google for online advertising.
  • ad_personalization: consent to personalized advertising, such as remarketing.

Each is “granted” or “denied”. The last two are what “v2” added.

Basic vs advanced

Basic: Google’s tags wait until the visitor answers the banner. If they don’t consent, nothing is sent to Google, and conversion modeling uses a general model.

Advanced: tags load straight away with consent set to denied. While denied, they send cookieless pings; full data is sent only after consent. That lets Google model conversions for your own account in more detail.

Why it matters for EEA visitors

Google requires advertisers to follow its EU user consent policy to use ad personalization and measurement with visitors in the EEA. Google Analytics reads ad_user_data for ads measurement and ad_personalization for personalized ads; since March 2024, without those consent signals, EEA visitors are left out of the audiences your linked ad accounts use, and remarketing needs their consent.

Consent Mode only passes on a choice. You still need a banner that asks properly, which in the EEA means before the cookies are set.

And in the US?

US state laws are opt-out laws, so Consent Mode is mostly about honoring a visitor’s “no” to advertising, including Global Privacy Control. Keeping analytics cookieless until the visitor chooses lets you count visits without setting analytics cookies first.

How GoConsent handles it

  • Consent Mode v2 set up automatically, with every signal “denied” until consent
  • Ad data redaction on, and Google Signals and ad personalization off until a visitor allows marketing
  • Works with Google Analytics, Google Ads and Tag Manager containers; the scanner reads your GTM container and lists the tags inside it
  • For US visitors, Google Analytics counts visits without cookies until they choose (you can turn this off); EU and UK visitors get stricter defaults
  • The Meta Pixel gets the same consent signal
  • Free on WordPress.org

See every GoConsent feature

A plain-English guide, last reviewed October 26, 2026. It isn’t legal advice. Read the sources below and talk to a lawyer about your situation.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Is Google Consent Mode a cookie banner?

No. It passes a visitor’s choice to Google’s tags. You still need a banner, or another consent tool, to ask.

Do I need Consent Mode v2 if my visitors are only in the US?

Google’s EEA requirements don’t apply to visitors outside the EEA. Consent Mode is still the cleanest way to stop advertising tags for people who opt out, including through Global Privacy Control.

Is GoConsent a Google-certified CMP?

No. Google requires a certified CMP only for publishers serving its ads (AdSense, Ad Manager, AdMob) to visitors in the EEA, UK and Switzerland. Advertisers and site owners using Analytics and Ads can use GoConsent’s Consent Mode.

Sources

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