Cookie notice

What we check

We load the home page in a fresh browser, like a visitor who comes for the first time, and check whether a cookie notice becomes visible. Then we combine this with what the page actually does:

• No notice, but analytics or advertising cookies: warning. In the United States, where tracking needs no prior consent, a note.
• No notice, but other cookies or third parties: note, this has to be stated at least in the privacy policy.
• A cookie tool is included but shows no notice: note, because many tools only ask visitors from certain countries, such as the EU.
• Notice visible or no cookies and third parties: fine.

This is an automatic preliminary check, not legal advice.

Why it matters

Cookies are small files that a website stores in the browser. Some are technically necessary, for example for a shopping basket. Others serve analytics or advertising and recognise visitors over days or months.

• In the EU the GDPR and the ePrivacy rules (in Germany the TDDDG) require consent before analytics and advertising cookies are set. This also concerns websites outside the EU that are aimed at customers in the EU.
• In the UK the PECR and the UK GDPR require the same consent.
• In the United States tracking needs no prior consent, but state laws such as the CCPA give visitors the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of their data, and a Global Privacy Control signal from the browser counts as such an opt-out in California.
• In Switzerland the Telecommunications Act requires the operator to inform about cookies and to offer a way to refuse them.

A cookie notice alone is not enough: it must also really load the services only after consent. Many banners show "Accept" and "Decline", but the tracking already runs beforehand. The article on third parties checks that.

How to fix it

Option 1: banner with a real choice

Include a consent tool that

• shows a notice on the first visit,
• makes "Decline" as easy as "Accept",
• loads analytics and advertising services only after consent,
• makes the decision changeable later, for example via a link in the footer.

Common tools are Cookiebot, Usercentrics, CookieYes, Complianz and Borlabs Cookie (WordPress). Wix and Squarespace have their own cookie banners in the settings.

Option 2: without tracking, without a banner

Many websites do not need tracking across several websites. With these steps the banner often disappears altogether:

• analytics without cookies, e.g. with a self-hosted Matomo installation in cookieless mode or a privacy-friendly European service,
• fonts from the website's own server instead of from Google,
• maps as a static image with a link to Google Maps,
• load videos only after a click.

Tool installed but no notice visible

Check in the settings of the tool whether it is active only for certain countries. If that is intended, make sure that tracking for all other visitors still starts only after information or consent.

How to check it yourself

Open the website in a private browser window. Does a notice appear? Click "Decline" and check in the developer tools (F12) under "Application › Cookies" whether cookies such as _ga (Google Analytics) or _fbp (Meta) are set anyway.

Frequently asked questions

Does every website need a cookie banner?

No. If a website sets only technically necessary cookies and loads no tracking or advertising services, a banner is generally not needed. A note in the privacy policy is then enough.

The banner annoys visitors. Is there an alternative?

Yes: do without tracking. With analytics without cookies and without data sharing, self-hosted fonts and maps as an image with a link, the banner often disappears altogether.

Is this legal advice?

No. We check technically what happens on the first visit. Whether the solution meets the legal requirements is for a professional to judge.