Knowledge for your website
Cookies: understand their purpose and use on a website
Cookies store small pieces of information in the browser and may send them with later requests. What matters is why a website uses them: for example, for a session, a setting or measurement.
Not all cookies serve the same purpose
A cookie can support a logged-in state or remember a selected setting. Other cookies are used for analysis or attribution of advertising interactions. The file type alone therefore says little about the specific purpose.
Similar storage methods and external scripts also belong in the inventory. Searching only for the word “cookie” can overlook other data transfers. The technically observed use should match the description on the website.
Which questions help with the review?
- Which function needs the stored information?
- Which provider sets or receives it?
- Which information is transmitted, and how long is it stored?
- What happens on the first visit, after a choice and after withdrawal?
- Can the website also be used with a restrictive selection?
Document the results for each service. A displayed notice alone does not prove that the technical behaviour matches the choices offered.
A practical starting point for businesses
First remove unused integrations and duplicate tracking code. Then establish which functions are needed and what information visitors must receive. Requirements depend on actual use and the people affected; a general template does not replace this assessment.
For this website, the information is in the privacy policy. How to plan a clear, usable technical implementation is explained in the section on web design.
Sources and further reading
Verify the offered choices technically
Create an expected-behaviour description for every integration and compare it with observed behaviour. Record the cookies, storage access and data transfers occurring in the following test cases. The review also covers embedded media and services outside a tag manager.
| Test case | What is checked |
|---|---|
| First visit without a choice | Which state applies, and which services have already started working? |
| Accept | Does the state change in time and only within the chosen scope? |
| Reject or make a limited selection | Does the actual behaviour match the categories selected? |
| Withdraw the selection | Does the new state take effect and apply on the next page? |
| Return visit | Do the stored choice, visible settings and technical behaviour remain consistent? |
For Google tags, the consent testing guide explains how to check the default state, changes and tag behaviour. The setup documentation also describes later changes to choices. Supplement these product checks with the other services actually integrated. Defining the intended state professionally and approving the technical implementation are separate tasks.
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