What privacy changes is Google making and how do they affect marketing?
The main change that affects you is consent. Google's ad and analytics tags can be told what a visitor chose on your cookie banner, so when consent mode is on and someone says no, you lose some of that visit from your numbers. Safari and Firefox also limit tracking cookies, and Chrome kept third-party cookies after Google dropped its plan to remove them in 2024. How we handle the gaps is built per project: we connect your cookie consent tool to your tags in Tag Manager and test it, and add a server container when paid tracking needs it. See our Tag Manager page .
Consent comes first
If your site shows a cookie banner, Google's tags can be told what each visitor agreed to. That's Google's consent mode. When a visitor declines, the tags hold back what they'd normally store, and some of the visit goes missing from your reports. Google can fill part of that gap with modelled figures, so treat those numbers with care.
What about third-party cookies?
Google planned to remove them from Chrome, then dropped that plan in July 2024. Chrome now leaves the choice to the user. Safari and Firefox already limit tracking cookies, and ad blockers cut more, so a share of visits is still lost whatever Chrome does.
What we do about it
- Connect your cookie consent tool to your tags in Tag Manager, so tags follow the visitor's choice, and test it. How far consent mode goes depends on the project.
- We don't give legal advice.
- When paid tracking needs it, add a server container so conversions still reach the ad platforms. See Stape.
This is part of our tracking work.
Where this came up in our work
- Client work
Belrose Group
A self-storage investment, development and consulting firm got a new Webflow site with a page for each of its three divisions, a lead funnel it trusted, and its investor portal moved to a new platform.
Read the story - Client work
Hear Me London
A London audiology clinic got local pages, an online hearing test that logs to a sheet and emails the clinic, and server-side tracking behind every booking: 378 online bookings in 15 months, over half from organic search.
Read the story - Client work
Sector7
An award-winning rebuild, 177% more new users in 2025 than 2024, and Jon calls it "executed flawlessly, on time and on budget".
Read the story
Also worth asking
Other answers about the same tools.
What are the latest Google algorithm updates affecting search rankings?
Google updates search all the time, and the themes stay familiar: helpful content written for people, pages that load and behave well, and low-quality or mass-produced copy losing ground. We don't chase each update.
We look at what Search Console shows for your own pages and fix those, in our content and SEO work.
How do you optimise Google Business Profile for local marketing?
Start with the basics: the right categories, an accurate name, address and opening hours, and a proper description of what you do. Then add real photos, answer your reviews, and keep the details current.
It matters most if customers find you by searching near them. We can include it in our content and SEO work where we have access to the profile.
What are the most important Google tools for small businesses?
For most small businesses it's four: Google Business Profile for local searches, Search Console to see what people searched for, Analytics to see what they did on your site, and Google Ads if you want to pay for visits.
Tag Manager comes in once you want conversions counted properly. We set up Analytics and Tag Manager as part of our tracking work, and use Search Console in our content and SEO work.
Why is Google essential for digital marketing success?
Because a lot of your customers' searching, and a lot of the tracking behind your marketing, runs through Google products. Ads, Analytics, Tag Manager and Search Console each tell you something different, and they're far more useful once they're set up to agree.
We set them up together, starting with who owns each account. See how we use Google or our paid marketing service.
Still have questions?Talk to us
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- A 15-minute callYour goals, your challenges, and whether we're the right fit.
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- A concrete planAds, a custom build or both, as a one-off project or ongoing.