Overview

The cookie consent banner collects visitor consent on your website before non-essential cookies can load. It displays privacy choices, records preferences, and enforces cookie auto-blocking to ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. 

Banner Components

Your consent banner consists of three integrated parts working together:

  • Consent Notice — The initial message visitors see when they arrive at your site, featuring action buttons (Accept All, Reject All, Manage Preferences) and brief information about cookie usage. Configure the notice content in Customizing Banner Content.

  • Preference Center — A detailed modal that opens when visitors click "Manage Preferences," showing cookie categories with individual toggles for granular consent control. Setup options are covered in Preference Center Configuration.

  • Floating Icon — An optional persistent button that remains visible after initial consent, allowing visitors to modify their preferences at any time. Position and enable this feature in Banner Layout & Positioning.

How Consent Works

When visitors interact with your banner, Consently automatically:

  1. Records their choice in the Consent Log with a unique consent ID, timestamp, and country location

  2. Stores a consent cookie in their browser to remember their preference on return visits

  3. Signals consent status to Google Consent Mode v2 and IAB TCF if enabled

  4. Activates or blocks cookies based on their choices through automatic consent enforcement

Consent options available:

  • Accept All — Enables all cookie categories immediately

  • Reject All — Blocks all non-essential cookies (only Essential cookies load)

  • Manage Preferences — Opens the preference center for granular category selection

  • Save Preferences — Confirms custom selections made in the preference center

Visitors can withdraw or modify consent at any time using the floating icon or by clearing their browser cookies.

Consent Templates

Consently offers two regulatory templates that determine your banner's consent model:

  1. GDPR (Opt-in Model) — Requires explicit prior consent before any non-essential cookies can load. All cookies remain blocked until the visitor takes action. This template is mandatory for EU/UK visitors and supports additional regulations like LGPD, PIPEDA, and POPIA.

  2. US State Laws (Opt-out Model) — Allows cookies to load by default but provides a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link for visitors to opt out. This template covers CCPA/CPRA (California), VCDPA (Virginia), CPA (Colorado), CTDPA (Connecticut), and UCPA (Utah).

You can enable one template or both simultaneously. When both are enabled, Consently automatically displays the appropriate template based on each visitor's location.

Banner Customization

Consently provides extensive customization to match your brand:

  • Visual Design — Choose display styles (bar, box, popup, full-screen), positions (top, bottom, center), and color themes. Customize every element, including buttons, text, backgrounds, and borders, through Designing Your Banner.

  • Content & Messaging — Edit all text, add rich formatting, include privacy policy links, and translate into 25+ languages. Full details are available in the customization guides for content and language support.

  • Advanced Settings — Configure IAB TCF 2.2 integration for programmatic advertising, enable vendor lists, and set up purpose management for publishers.

Banner Lifecycle

Your banner follows this workflow from setup to deployment:

  1. Configuration — Choose your consent template and customize design, content, and settings

  2. Preview — Test the banner appearance across devices using Preview Modes before going live

  3. Publishing — Save changes and publish to activate on your website, as explained in Publishing Your Banner

  4. Installation — Copy the embed script and add it to your website's <head> section via Embedding the Banner Script

  5. Monitoring — Track consent rates, view visitor choices, and adjust settings as needed

Changes to your banner can be previewed and published at any time without reinstalling the script.

Getting Started

Configure your first consent banner by choosing the appropriate consent template for your audience.

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