What Consent Mode v2 requires
Google Consent Mode v2 requires two new consent signals: ad_user_data and ad_personalization, in addition to the original ad_storage and analytics_storage. These must be set to 'denied' as the default state and updated to 'granted' when the user accepts the relevant consent category.
Without these signals configured correctly, Google Ads measurement in EU regions becomes restricted - affecting your Smart Bidding, conversion tracking, and remarketing audiences.
Consent Mode audit checklist
Verify gtag consent defaults are set before any tags fire
Check your GTM container for a Consent Initialisation trigger. The gtag consent default command should fire before ALL other tags, including the Google Analytics base tag. In GTM, use a Custom Event tag set to fire on "Consent Initialisation - All Pages".
Check all 4 consent signals are set to denied by default
The default state for EEA users should deny: ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization. Open GTM Preview, clear cookies, and reload the page. Check the dataLayer events for a consent_default push with all four signals set to denied.
Verify CMP consent update fires when user accepts
Accept the consent banner and check the dataLayer for a consent_update push that sets the relevant signals to granted. This push must come from your CMP (OneTrust, Cookiebot, etc.) and should happen immediately after the user clicks Accept.
Check that tags respect consent signals
In GTM, your Google Ads and GA4 tags should have "Requires additional consent" configured with the appropriate consent type. Tags should show "Consent not required" or "Consent granted" status in GTM Preview - never "Consent denied" if you expect them to fire.
Verify modelled conversions are enabled in Google Ads
Go to Google Ads → Tools → Measurement → Conversions → your conversion action. Check that "Include in conversions" is enabled and that "Consent settings" shows Consent Mode is active. This enables Google to model conversions for sessions where consent was not granted.
Check GDPR region-specific behaviour
Some CMPs implement consent mode only for EEA regions. Use a VPN set to Germany or France to verify that the consent banner appears and that consent mode is active for those sessions.
Monitor violations continuously
Manual audits only catch issues at the moment they run. Deploy a continuous monitoring solution to catch violations that appear after GTM changes, CMS updates, or CMP configuration changes.
Common consent mode failures
Related articles and resources
Monitor consent compliance continuously
TagSense captures consent state at every tag fire and logs violations automatically - tag name, page, region, count, severity. No manual audits required.