UK Consent Mode: What Changes for Your Reported Conversions
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If your Google Ads conversions dropped after adding or updating a cookie consent banner, Consent Mode configuration is usually the first thing to check — not your campaigns themselves.
What Consent Mode Actually Does
Consent Mode adjusts how Google's tags behave based on a user's cookie choice — when a user declines analytics or ad cookies, Google uses modeling to estimate conversion behavior rather than losing that data entirely. Without Consent Mode configured correctly, declined users are simply invisible to your reporting.
Basic vs. Advanced Consent Mode
Basic implementation blocks tags entirely until consent is given, which is simpler but loses more data. Advanced implementation sends cookieless "pings" even without consent, which Google uses for conversion modeling — generally the better choice for accurate reporting if your consent platform supports it.
Signs Your Consent Setup Might Be Wrong
A sudden, unexplained drop in conversions after a consent banner change, conversion numbers that don't match your CRM's actual lead count, or a consent rate that seems unusually low for your industry are all signs worth investigating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we need a specific consent management platform?
Any CMP that supports the Google Consent Mode API works — what matters is that it's actually integrated correctly with your GTM setup, not which specific platform you use.
How does this fit into your broader UK approach?
See our Google Ads Agency UK page.