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Check what your Google tags receive.
Set the correct consent defaults, connect visitor choices and test the four core signals in Tag Assistant.
Know the four signals
Velo maps the visitor’s analytics and advertising choices to Google’s consent signals. Check the signals themselves when debugging; a visible banner is not proof that a tag received them.
| Signal | Purpose | Velo category |
|---|---|---|
analytics_storage | Analytics-related storage | Analytics |
ad_storage | Advertising-related storage | Advertising |
ad_user_data | Sending user data to Google for advertising | Advertising |
ad_personalization | Personalised advertising | Advertising |
Set defaults before measurement runs
With GTM: configure the Velo CMP template on Consent Initialization – All Pages. Use the exact site ID and API endpoint from your installation settings. Follow the GTM installation guide and inspect tag consent settings in your container.
With a direct installation: consent defaults must be established before Google’s measurement commands, including config and event. Loading an async banner script high in the head does not on its own establish that order. Follow Google’s consent setup instructions for your tag implementation.
Keep one owner for the defaults. An old CMP, a second template or a separate consent script can overwrite the state that Velo sets.
Choose basic or advanced behaviour
| Implementation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Basic | Google tags are held back until consent is given. |
| Advanced | Google tags load with denied consent and can send cookieless measurements. |
Choose the implementation that matches your organisation’s policy and configure tags accordingly. Consent Mode does not automatically block every non-Google tag. Pixels, embeds and custom scripts need their own consent controls.
Google’s modelling has eligibility requirements. Passing these tests confirms your implementation’s behaviour; it does not promise modelled conversions or a particular uplift.
Test in Tag Assistant
- Open your web container in GTM, choose Preview and connect to the published website. Start with a fresh visitor session.
- Before interacting with the banner, inspect the earliest consent event. For an opt-in test, the four signals above should begin as
denied. - Accept all categories and inspect the consent update. Verify that analytics and advertising signals become
granted. - Repeat in a fresh session and reject optional categories. Their signals should stay denied.
- Save a partial choice: allow analytics while refusing advertising. Expect analytics storage to be granted and all three advertising signals denied.
- Reopen preferences, withdraw that choice, then reload and navigate to another page. Confirm the update and saved state are applied.
Also inspect the tags and network requests. In advanced mode, a request while consent is denied can be a cookieless measurement; its presence alone does not prove cookies were used. See Google’s Tag Assistant debugging guide for interpreting the consent events.
Resolve unexpected consent states
Google tags run before the default consent event.
Check that Velo’s GTM tag uses Consent Initialization, not a page-view trigger. For a direct installation, review execution order and the handling of asynchronous loading. Remove conflicting defaults from other consent implementations.
The state never updates after clicking the banner.
Confirm the correct Velo site ID, check for JavaScript errors and duplicate installations, and inspect a new session. Verify the choice was saved rather than closing a preference panel without saving.
Rejecting advertising still leaves a third-party pixel running.
Consent Mode signals are for supported Google tags. Configure that pixel’s own trigger, consent checks or blocking mechanism, then retest the request before and after the choice.