Why Is Data Decreasing After Installing Google Consent Mode v2?

Have you noticed that you’re losing some analytics data after setting up Google Consent Mode v2 on your website?

If you see your analytics numbers dropping, you’re not alone. Many website owners observe a decrease in analytics figures after implementation, which can be quite concerning. However, this is a normal effect of how Google Consent Mode works. Let’s dive deeper to understand why this occurs.

Google Consent Mode v2 and its advanced features, along with Google Analytics 4’s (GA4) behavioral modeling, play a significant role in understanding this data loss. When you first switch to Consent Mode v2, especially without using its previous version, you might see a significant drop in your reported data. This reduction might alarm you, but the duration of this data loss depends on specific aspects of GA4’s behavioral modeling.

Here’s what needs to happen for behavioral modeling, which helps compensate for lost data when users do not consent to analytics, to start working:

1. Advanced Consent Mode Usage: Your site should use not only the basic features of Consent Mode but also its advanced functionalities.
2. Required Data Volume: Your site needs to collect at least 1,000 events per day where analytics storage is denied (analytics_storage=’denied’) for at least seven consecutive days.
3. Minimum User Engagement: You need at least 1,000 daily users sending events with analytics storage granted (analytics_storage=’granted’) for at least seven of the past 28 days.

After your site meets these conditions, it qualifies for behavioral modeling. Initially, you may see a steep decline in your data, but as the site complies with the behavioral modeling criteria, you will observe a recovery in data collection, though there may still be a gap from when the conditions were unmet.

🔎 What Can You Do?

If you’re facing these challenges, here are a few strategies you could try:

• Drive More Traffic: Boosting your site’s traffic can help meet the thresholds needed for behavioral modeling.
• Estimate Manually: If some of your visitors consent to tracking, manually estimate your overall traffic based on this data.
• Explore Other Analytics Tools: Use tools like Google Search Console for verification, or switch to privacy-focused analytics platforms like Piwik Pro or Microsoft Clarity, which offer privacy considerations similar to those of Universal Analytics.