First – do you need to?

Cookies are pieces of code stored in your browser when you visit a website. Just like you might mix up ingredients for baking a cake, websites use data from cookies to ‘bake up’ the kind of experience they think users should have. Common tasks performed by cookies include:

  • remembering login information
  • remembering what you liked on FB, so we can show you more of that here
  • customizing the ads you see
  • helping you with a login (remembering your email address)
  • ‘remembering’ the items in a shopping cart

The cookie consent popups were new when I first published this article, but now we can’t get away from them! There are two things that these banners do.

First – it complies with laws, and there are more and more laws every month these days. These laws generally say that we (website owners) must make it easy for users to accept or decline cookies and change their minds.

A complete consent management system, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive solution that allows website owners to manage and track user consent for different types of data collection and processing. It goes beyond just cookies and does the following:

  • monitoring your cookies regularly
  • automatically updating your cookie list
  • assigning a user id to each visitor (so you can delete any associated data)
  • executing any info removal requests

So, while a cookie consent banner is a basic way to comply with data privacy regulations, a complete consent management system is a more advanced solution that gives website owners greater assurance that they are in compliance with the laws.

We will talk about both below. The biggest difference is price. A management system is a service – where a monthly fee is involved. A banner can be a simple plugin that is free. Regardless of the system you use, you will have to list out the cookies that you use.

Knowing the cookies on your site, and how to stop them is an important part of creating a cookie policy. Let’s talk about types of cookies and how to discover the ones you have.

What Kinds of Cookies do I have?

The most common classification system for cookies, was proposed and developed by The UK International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The ICC proposes these four classes of cookies:

  1. Strictly Necessary Cookies
  2. Performance Cookies
  3. Functionality Cookies
  4. Targeting/Advertising Cookies

Having such a classification makes it easier for us, as bloggers, as well as visitors to our sites. We can now explain how we handle cookies in groupings, instead of each individual cookie – which gets technical and long-winded.

Google, as of today, has proposed a new classification system that includes:

Consent TypeDescription
ad_storageEnables storage, such as cookies (web) or device identifiers (apps), related to advertising.
ad_user_dataSets consent for sending user data to Google for online advertising purposes.
ad_personalizationSets consent for personalized advertising.
analytics_storageEnables storage, such as cookies (web) or device identifiers (apps), related to analytics, for example, visit duration.
functionality_storageEnables storage that supports the functionality of the website or app, for example, language settings
personalization_storageEnables storage related to personalization, for example, video recommendations
security_storageEnables storage related to security such as authentication functionality, fraud prevention, and other user protection

The ICC one is easier to understand so I’m going to stick with that.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

“These cookies are essential in order to use the website and it’s features. Without these cookies our website will not function as intended. Services that you expect may not work.

Consent to use strictly necessary cookies is not needed. A Strictly Necessary Cookie is anything required to carry out the transaction that the user requested. If they went to your site to shop, it doesn’t make sense to ask them if they want the shopping cart to work (it won’t work without cookies).

Performance Cookies

“These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. Any information collected is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works. [emphasis mine]

Functionality Cookies

“These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. They may also be used to play a video you’ve clicked on, or allow commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

Targeting/Advertising Cookies

“These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other advertisers.

Find out what cookies you use

First you need to know which are in use on your site! You can do this one of two ways:

  1. Use a service that provides a free report – like Cookieyes.com
  2. Get a Consent Management System that does this for you.

If you opt for the free report from CookieYes, it will scan a limited number of pages. Be aware that if you add code from advertisers, YouTube, or anywhere else to single pages or posts, those cookies will only show up on those pages.

It can take a couple hours for your report to arrive. Be patient.

Armed with this report, you can now select the right banner or consent management platform for you.

Jan 2025: Illow has closed.

See this post for our 2025 reviews and recommendations with the new laws:

How to Add a Cookie Policy to WordPress

See this post!

Beginner Checklist

If you’re starting out, you’ll love our comprehensive 52 point checklist for your website! Read through once, and then work on items one at a time as it comes up!

52 Edits Checklist – beginners categories

Cathy Mitchell

Single Mom, Lifelong Learner, Jesus Follower, Founder and CEO at WPBarista.