Google Consent Mode: Navigating Privacy-Led PPC Marketing

On March 6th, 2024, Google launched Google Consent Mode for all advertisers reaching users from EU, EEA, and the UK. On July 31st, 2024, Google Consent Mode started applying to ads reaching users in Switzerland.

Now, two quarters after Google Consent Mode came into force, it seems that a lot of PPC Marketers and companies are still not ready for it.

This article dives into the importance of Privacy-Led PPC Marketing strategies, the impact of Google Consent Mode on PPC activities, the skills and tooling PPC Marketers need, and how the future of Google Ads will evolve.

Why you should have a Privacy-Led PPC Marketing strategy

With Google Consent Mode and the Digital Markets Act, privacy and consent management are no longer legal compliance topics, but rather marketing topics.

Before Google Consent Mode came into play, businesses dealing with EU-based consumers online must implement a cookie consent banner to comply with GDPR regulations. Now, Google Consent Mode requires all businesses to have a certified consent management banner on their websites in order to properly run Google Ads campaigns targeting consumers in the EU, EEA, the UK, and Switzerland.

Companies who haven’t set this up properly risk losing valuable data and insights and potentially compromising their campaign performance.

Google Consent Mode and its impact on PPC

Google Consent Mode is a feature that allows websites to adjust how Google tags behave based on the consent status of users. It’s designed to help advertisers comply with privacy regulations while still collecting valuable data for their campaigns.

The implementation of Google Consent Mode affects various aspects of PPC campaigns, including:

• Remarketing campaigns
• New Customer Acquisition (NCA) goals
• Audience customization
• Dynamic remarketing
• Conversion tracking
• Look-alike audiences

Essentially, compliance with Google Consent Mode is mandatory for ads personalization.

What throws off a lot of PPC Marketers, however, is the fact that Google Consent Mode is mandated according to where your audience is.

Even if your businesses are not based in the EU, your PPC performances still get affected if you have EU-based traffic or if you are targeting EU audiences.

Common challenges PPC Marketers face with Google Consent Mode

From implementation to tag setup, there is a knowledge gap among PPC Marketers about the do’s and don’ts in relation to Google Consent Mode.

Choosing the right consent management platform (CMP)

Many PPC marketers struggle to identify which consent management platforms to use. Sometimes, they implement a cookie notification banner instead of a consent management platform, which does not properly process or signal consent to the Google services they require.

Luckily, Google partners with a handful of Certified CMP Partners whose CMPs are seamlessly integrated with Google Consent Mode. Google gold-tier Certified CMP Partners like Usercentrics or Cookiebot^TM are widely used and talked about by PPC Marketers and analytics specialists.

Verifying proper Google Consent Mode implementation

It’s often unclear how to confirm if Consent Mode has been correctly set up.

Common mistakes PPC Marketers make include loading other tags before the CMP tag loads and not setting up meta tag parameters properly.

Google provides some tools to support PPC Marketers in verifying their Google Consent Mode setup. For example, the Diagnostics tabs in the Conversion Action dashboard in Google Ads gives you insights on consent mode rate and more.

Some of Google’s Certified CMP Partners, such as Cookiebot^TM, also built in native features to check its integration with Google Consent Mode.

Navigating the complexities of international targeting

PPC Marketers can no longer simply target European locations in their ad campaigns without properly implementing Google Consent Mode and a compliant consent management platform. This is especially challenging for US-based PPC Marketers who used to also target EU consumers alongside US consumers.

When Google Consent Mode was updated to include consumers in Switzerland, some manual hurdles were created for PPC marketers. They previously have set up campaigns according to when Google Consent Mode only included the EU, EEA, and the UK, and now they had to update their campaigns and CMPs to meet the requirements for Switzerland.

Using a Google Certified CMP resolves this challenge. These CMPs automatically update their settings based on the latest version of Google Consent Mode and the privacy regulations they comply with, such as GDPR, CCPA, DMA, and others.

Skills, tools, and strategies PPC Marketers must acquire

Besides identifying and implementing a certified consent management platform, PPC Marketers should also upskill in the following areas to keep up with the online advertising industry:

• Technical skills: Understanding how to work with Google Tag Manager, inspect cookie behavior, and implement server-side tagging.
• GDPR knowledge: Understanding with privacy regulations to ensure compliance and avoid potential fines.
• First-party data utilization: Learning how to leverage customer match, server-side tagging, and enhanced conversions to fill data gaps.
• Advanced analytics: Developing skills in analyzing first-party data, interpreting insights from Google Ads and Analytics, and understanding conversion paths.
• New metrics: Understanding new metrics like the Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) to gauge campaign performance in the absence of complete conversion data.

What is first-party data?

First-party data is information that a company collects directly from its customers or audience through owned channels and platforms: Website forms, customer surveys, purchase history, email subscriptions, customer service interactions, CRM systems, website and app interactions, and more.

This data is gathered with the explicit consent of users and provides insights into customer behavior, preferences, and interactions with your brand.

The “Emergency Break” Strategy: An example of utilizing first-party data in Google Ads

A practical example of how PPC Marketers can utilize first-party data is what PPC expert Thomas Eccel called the “Emergency Break” strategy.

The idea is to be present on Google search results when your loyal customers are searching for any of your competitors. Show them a catchy Google Ads headline and offer them a loyalty  discount that changes their mind.

You can set this up following a few simple steps:

1. Define your existing customers: Upload your personal Customer Match List (which is a type of first-party data).
2. Create a Search Competitor campaign: Place your Customer Match List as the audience (targeting) instead of merely the observation. The goal is that this “Emergency Break” campaign only triggers when an existing customer is actively looking for any of your competitors. 
3. Create your ad: Get creative and try to re-engage your customers with a catchy headline, an attractive discount, or a targeted landing page.

This strategy demonstrates how PPC Marketers can creatively use first-party data within the constraints of privacy regulations.

The future of Google Ads

The Google Ads landscape is shifting increasingly to a privacy-first approach, with the following trends emerging:

• Increased regulation: More privacy laws are likely to be implemented globally, following Europe’s lead.
• Investment in first-party data: PPC Marketers will need to adapt to working with reduced data sets, increase focus on collecting and utilizing their own data, and finding new ways to gain insights.
• More clarity about the Privacy Sandbox: Google’s initiative to create privacy-preserving technologies for the web will continue to develop, potentially offering new opportunities for advertisers.

While it seems like the future of Google Ads leads to diminishing data collection, it presents opportunities that PPC Marketers should not hesitate to seize. By embracing new tools, developing new skills, and staying informed about the latest developments, marketers can turn these privacy constraints into a competitive advantage.

As Google Ads expert Adriaan Dekker puts it, “If you understand Google Consent Mode, you are already ahead.”