Consentfolio Google Consent Mode v2: What It Is and How to Set It Up
Google Consent Mode v2 is the way your website tells Google's tags whether a visitor has consented, so GA4 and Google Ads adjust what they collect. It sets four consent signals to denied by default, then updates them to granted when the visitor accepts. Google requires it for advertisers and publishers serving the UK and the European Economic Area, and without it your Google Ads remarketing and conversion data degrade.
Consent Mode is the bridge between your cookie banner and your Google tags. The banner collects the choice; Consent Mode carries it to Google.
The four consent signals
Consent Mode v2 controls four parameters. Your banner sets each to granted or denied.
| Signal | Controls |
|---|---|
analytics_storage |
Analytics cookies and GA4 measurement |
ad_storage |
Advertising cookies |
ad_user_data |
Whether user data is sent to Google for advertising |
ad_personalization |
Whether data is used for personalised ads and remarketing |
The two ad_user_data and ad_personalization signals are what "v2" added in 2024. Google Ads needs them for EEA and UK traffic, so a v1 setup no longer covers you.
Why UK and EU sites need it
Google will not use EEA or UK data for personalised advertising or remarketing unless it receives these signals. If you run Google Ads and skip Consent Mode, your remarketing audiences shrink and your conversion tracking loses accuracy. Consent Mode lets Google fill part of that gap through modelling, which needs the signals in place to work.
It also keeps you on the right side of UK PECR. The signals default to denied, so Google's tags hold back until the visitor consents. Read UK cookie law explained for the legal side.
Basic mode and advanced mode
Consent Mode runs in one of two modes, and the difference matters for your data.
- Basic mode blocks Google tags entirely until consent. Google receives nothing from visitors who have not accepted, so there is no modelling for them.
- Advanced mode loads Google tags in a consent-aware state. Before consent they send cookieless pings, which Google uses to model the behaviour of visitors who declined.
Advanced mode keeps more of your data. Read Consent Mode basic vs advanced for the full trade-off.
How to set it up
The mechanics are three steps: set the defaults to denied before any Google tag loads, load your Google tags, then update the signals when the visitor chooses. You can wire this by hand in gtag or Google Tag Manager, or let a banner handle it.
Consentfolio does all three from one script tag. The snippet sets the denied defaults first, renders the banner, and sends the update on accept, so your Google tags respect consent without extra tagging. See the step-by-step Consent Mode v2 setup guide and how to block Google Analytics until consent.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Consent Mode v2 mandatory? Google requires it for advertisers and publishers using its products with EEA and UK users. If you run Google Ads or GA4 for that traffic and want remarketing and conversion data, you need it.
Does Consent Mode replace a cookie banner? No. Consent Mode adjusts how Google tags behave. You still need a banner to collect and record the consent that sets the signals. See how cookie consent works.
What is the difference between Consent Mode v1 and v2?
v2 added the ad_user_data and ad_personalization signals, which Google Ads now needs for EEA and UK traffic. A v1 setup does not send them.
Does Consentfolio support Consent Mode v2? Yes. It sets the four signals to denied by default and updates them the moment a visitor chooses, for GA4 and Google Ads, from one script tag.
Written by Tudor Rusmanica, founder of Consentfolio. Tudor has spent over a decade in agency SEO, working where search performance meets data protection: the analytics, tagging and consent setups that keep measurement useful and lawful. Connect on LinkedIn.
Published 13 July 2026. Last reviewed 13 July 2026.