Google

The screen is titled Google on your site. Under the title, when Cookie Rocks recognises the cookie plugin of your banner, it says: “Your current cookie plugin was recognised: what Cookie Rocks reads in its settings is below.” The name of the plugin is given on the Overview only, on the Cookie banner card. If no banner is found, it says: “No cookie banner was found on your home page during the last scan. Run a scan on the “Cookies” page if you just installed one.” Before a first scan, it asks you to run one. When a banner shows but is not recognised, its settings cannot be read: only what visitors see was checked.

One row per Google tag

A Google tag is a script that sends data to Google. Cookie Rocks recognises Google Tag Manager, the Google tag (gtag.js), Google Analytics and Google Ads. Each tag found by the last analysis gets a row:

• Waits for a choice: the analysis saw the tag wait for the visitor’s answer. This is what the law asks.
• Loads before any choice: the tag loads at once. The row adds: “Google receives the visitor’s address before any choice.”
• Not checked: the tag is known on your site, but the analysis did not see how it behaves.

If the analysis found no Google tag, the row Google tags shows None found: “Run a scan on the “Cookies” page to look for them.” before the first scan, then “The last analysis found no Google tag on your pages.”

Consent signals and Mode

Google Consent Mode is how a cookie banner tells Google tags what the visitor chose. These two rows appear only when the screen found Google tags and a banner, and only when Cookie Rocks can tell:

• Consent signals: Sent, with “Your current cookie plugin sends the visitor’s choice to Google tags (Consent Mode).” Or Not sent: the signals are off in your banner, or they are not in its free version. In that last case, the row gives the date of the check. It adds: “Without these signals, Google Ads and Analytics lose most of their data from Europe.”
• Mode: Basic mode or Advanced mode, as set in your banner.

For some cookie plugins, Cookie Rocks reads these settings on your site. For others, it relies on what it knows about their free version, and gives the date. See Cookie plugins for the banners the Audit recognises.

WP Consent API

This row is always there. It shows Active or Not installed: “Site Kit and WooCommerce read the visitor’s choice through it.” WP Consent API is a free WordPress plugin. See WP Consent API.

The box at the bottom

A box titled With the Cookie Rocks banner says what Cookie Rocks Pro does for Google. Click Hide: it does not come back for your user account.

The section Your traffic and the row Recommended for this site appear only when the screen found Google tags. “Two answers give the right mode for your site.”

• Google Ads campaigns: I do not know (default), No Google Ads, Fewer than 700 ad clicks a week or 700 ad clicks a week or more. Under the choices: “With “No Google Ads”, the banner and the cookie policy present the Google tag as visit statistics only.”
• Daily visitors: I do not know (default), Fewer than 2,000 or 2,000 or more.

Click Save Changes to update the recommendation. The two modes:

• Basic mode: Google tags wait for consent. Nothing is sent before the visitor decides.
• Advanced mode: Google tags load at once and, without cookies, send Google the page address and an identifier until the visitor decides. Google can then estimate part of the missing data. Countries that ask for consent first require consent for this.

The recommendation follows these rules, in this order:

1. 700 ad clicks a week or more: advanced mode. This is Google’s threshold (700 ad clicks over 7 days per country) for estimating the conversions of visitors who refuse.
2. 2,000 daily visitors or more: advanced mode. Google Analytics needs about 1,000 visitors a day who accept statistics before it estimates the visits of people who refuse.
3. One answer is still “I do not know”: basic mode, until you answer.
4. Below both thresholds: basic mode. Advanced mode would bring almost nothing and adds a legal risk.

When the advice is advanced mode, the reason adds: “Google tags send Google the page address and an identifier before the visitor decides. Countries that ask for consent first require consent for this.”

The Overview lists only the points to fix. For Google, they are:

• “Google receives no consent signal: Consent Mode is off in your current cookie plugin.” This point appears only when Cookie Rocks could read the setting of your banner, and it is off. When the free version of your banner lacks Consent Mode too, the point says so instead.
• “Check that Google tags receive the visitor’s choice: Consent Mode is not in the free version of your current cookie plugin (checked on …).” This point appears when Cookie Rocks cannot read the setting, and only knows the free version. It has a Source link.
• “WP Consent API is not installed. Install it so that Site Kit, WooCommerce and other plugins can read the visitor’s choice.” This point appears when Site Kit, WooCommerce, Jetpack or WP Statistics is active. Its button is Install WP Consent API.
• “Site Kit and WooCommerce read the visitor’s choice through WP Consent API, which your current cookie plugin does not support (checked on …).” This point appears when Site Kit or WooCommerce is active. It has a Source link.
• “Google’s own consent message (AdSense, Privacy & messaging) also shows on your site.” This point appears when the last scan saw Google’s consent message before the visitor chose. For Google ads, that message decides, not your cookie banner: keep one consent tool, or make both say the same thing. A second point asks you to turn on “Do not consent” in AdSense, so that Google’s message offers to refuse on its first screen.
• “You address visitors in California: Google ads need the “US state regulations” message of AdSense (Privacy & messaging).” This point appears with Google’s consent message, when you address California and your site uses Google AdSense. Without that message, there is no “Do not sell or share my personal information” link and no GPP signal, and Google’s ad cookies are set even when the visitor sends Global Privacy Control.
• “You show Google ads to visitors in the EEA, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, and the scan saw neither a TCF consent signal nor Google’s own consent message on your home page.” This point appears when your site uses Google AdSense and addresses those countries. Google requires a certified consent tool that supports the IAB TCF: without it, Google limits or stops personalised ads. It has a Source link.

With Pro, the Google screen holds the settings of the Cookie Rocks banner. Until you save it once, the getting-started step says: “Answer two questions to choose the right Google mode, then save. “I don’t know” is an answer.”

With Send consent signals, Google tags (Tag Manager, GA4, Google Ads, Site Kit) receive each visitor’s choice. With Site Kit, keep its own “Consent Mode” setting off: the banner sends one default for every country, before the first tag. With Do not send them, the mode and the ad data rows are hidden, and the two questions stay. Choose it only if another tool already sends these signals.

With Pro, the recommended mode shows even before Google tags are found. When none is found and neither Site Kit nor GTM4WP is active, the reason says: “No Google tag found on your pages yet. Basic mode is the safe choice: nothing is lost.”

• The Overview warns when your mode differs from the recommended one: “Recommended Google mode for this site: … Current mode: …”, with Open the Google settings.
• Without a valid key, the Consent Mode settings keep their value and are locked. The two questions stay open.

See Google Consent Mode, Tag Manager and Site Kit.