Tracking Visitors Who Reject Cookies: A Step-by-Step Guide for GA4

To track traffic from users who reject cookies or consent on your site while complying with privacy regulations, you can implement Google Consent Mode. This will allow you to gather basic analytics data (like sessions and pageviews) without using cookies.

Here is a step-by-step guide to track users who reject cookies using Google Consent Mode in GA4:

Step 1: Set Up Google Tag Manager (GTM)

Login to Google Tag Manager:

Go to Google Tag Manager and log in to your account.
Select the container for your website.

Create a Google Analytics 4 Tag:

If you don’t have a GA4 tag, create one:

Click "Tags" in the left-hand panel.
Click "New" to create a new tag.
Choose "Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration".
Enter your GA4 Measurement ID (you can find this in your GA4 Admin settings).
Leave the default cookie settings as is for now.

Step 2: Integrate Google Consent Mode

Google Consent Mode works with a cookie consent management tool (CMP) or manually adjusted consent signals. It adjusts tracking based on the user’s consent, allowing partial tracking if cookies are rejected.

Integrate Google Consent Mode in GTM:

Open your GTM container.
Click on "Variables" in the left-hand menu.
Scroll down and click "Configure" under Built-in Variables.
Enable "Consent State" variables for ad_storage, analytics_storage, and other relevant states.

Add Google Consent Mode Script:

Modify your website’s global tracking code to include the Google Consent Mode script.
Add the following script to your website’s <head> tag:

html

Copy code

// Adjust consent mode based on user input

gtag('consent', 'default', {

'ad_storage': 'denied',

'analytics_storage': 'denied'

});

// Update based on consent decisions

gtag('consent', 'update', {

'ad_storage': 'granted',

'analytics_storage': 'granted'

});

</script>

This code sets Google Analytics to deny storage by default (for users who do not consent) and updates it if the user grants consent.

Step 3: Set Up Consent Signals for Analytics Tracking

Now, you need to make sure GA4 will still track some data even when users reject cookies.

Go to GTM:

Navigate to Tags > Google Analytics 4 Configuration.
In the tag settings, scroll down to the "Consent Settings" section.

Enable Consent Override:

Toggle on "Enable Consent Overview".
Set the required consent signals for ad_storage and analytics_storage.
For users who reject cookies, consent will automatically default to denied, but GA4 will still track anonymized sessions without cookies.

Fire Basic Pageview Tags:

Click "Triggers" > Select "All Pages".
This allows Google to track basic data like page views and bounce rates.

Step 4: Configure Cookie Consent Platform (CMP)

If you’re using a cookie consent management platform (CMP), you need to integrate it with Consent Mode.

Check for Google Consent Mode Integration:

Many CMPs (like OneTrust, Cookiebot, or Quantcast) support Consent Mode. In your CMP settings, enable Google Consent Mode and link it to your GTM container.

Consent Banner Customization:

Customize your consent banner to trigger updates based on user consent choices.
When a user rejects cookies, the CMP should pass the denied consent signal to Consent Mode.

Step 5: Configure Google Analytics 4 Reports for Consent Mode Data

Google Analytics 4 will collect aggregate data from users who reject cookies:

Log in to GA4 and go to Admin > Data Settings.
Enable "Consent Mode Reports" in GA4:

GA4 has built-in capabilities to handle Consent Mode. In the reports section, you will see data from users who have rejected cookies, such as anonymized traffic metrics.

Check Your Reports:

Navigate to Reports in GA4 and view traffic metrics.
You’ll see anonymized data for users who reject cookies, including:

Pageviews
Bounce rates
Basic engagement metrics (without personalized user identifiers).

Step 6: Test the Implementation

Test Using Developer Tools:

Open your website and use the developer console (Ctrl + Shift + I) to test the behavior of Consent Mode.
Visit your site and reject cookies. Use the Network tab to ensure that traffic events (such as page_view or session_start) are still sent to GA4, but without any personal data or cookies.