The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a set of EU laws established on May 25, 2018. It looks at how companies collect and handle individuals' private information. The laws have changed a lot since 2018 and are constantly evolving. Since there are always new amendments, the requirements are constantly changing as well.

A cookie is a small piece of text information that is either sent from the web server to the browser or created in the browser by a script (e.g., JavaScript). This text information is stored on the user's end device in the browser and is used for subsequent or repeated visits to the website to transmit information to the server or to be read directly by the web server. The use of a cookie is, for example, to identify the user based on his session ID, to save his shopping cart, or to log in to a web application. One of the most important uses for cookies is web tracking, i.e., the behavior of users on websites.

Consent Management System - alkima WEB & DESIGN ®

Cookie Consent

When is a “Cookie Banner” Mandatory?

“Cookie Banner” or a CMP (Consent Management Platform) is always mandatory for every website, online shop, or web app.

However, a simple cookie notice is no longer sufficient and an active opt-in of the user is mandatory.

Are you searching for a web agency to help you make your website, online shop, or application GDPR-compliant by implementing a consent management platform?

Get in touch with us today and receive expert advice from certified professionals!

How Does a Website Become GDPR Compliant?

For a website, an online shop, web, or mobile application to be GDPR-compliant, a “Cookie Banner” or Consent Manager must be implemented.

It doesn’t matter whether you develop it yourself or use a professional external solution. It is only important that:

The user is informed through a “cookie banner” (as demanded by the law) which data and for what purpose is being collected.
User data may only be collected after the user grants explicit consent.
Even after consent or rejection, the user can view the settings made for the individual data processing services and revoke the consent if necessary.

These and many other conditions must be met for your website to be GDPR-compliant.

Since privacy laws are constantly changing, you should always keep an eye out to be able to react to the latest changes and obligations.

Non-GDPR-compliant data processing can be expensive. Companies risk facing these penalties:

up to 4% annual turnover
20.000.000 Euro

What is a “Cookie Banner”/a Consent Management Platform?

“Cookie Banner” is often used as a simplified description of what the user sees on the website. It is often forgotten how complex such an application really is for a GDPR-compliant website, an online shop, or an application and what a “cookie banner” / Consent Management Platform (CMP) really has to provide.

Despite the name, the “Cookie Banner” controls not just the cookies, but also all the scripts that collect and store user data.

How does the “Cookie Banner” or the consent management platform?

The "Cookie Banner" is loaded on the website before all other scripts and blocks all further scripts that could collect user data. When the user gives explicit consent, the CMP runs the scripts individually according to that consent and lets them collect the data.

Does the "Cookie Banner" also collect user data, and does it require its own consent?

The “Cookie Banner” does not require consent before loading. The consent and the relevant settings are saved locally for each user. A "cookie banner" accesses this data each time the website is loaded and is displayed or hidden accordingly. The "Consent Manager" itself has no access to user data.

What happens if no consent is given?

If a user has not consented, no user data will be recorded, stored, or processed in any other way. This protects the user's anonymity, and his data cannot be used for other purposes, such as online marketing.

Usercentrics and alkima WEB & DESIGN ®

The Consent Management Tool from Usercentrics offers every website, online shop and application the opportunity to become GDPR compliant in the best possible way.

As a certified partner of Usercentrics, alkima WEB & DESIGN ® not only takes on the technical integration of the CMP, but also the support including long-term care and is available with advice and action.

Consent Management with Usercentrics

Usercentrics GmbH is a German company and a market leader in Consent Management Platforms (CMP). Since 2018, Usercentrics has been offering its own SaaS solutions that enable websites and applications to obtain and manage user consent in compliance with GDPR.

With Usercentrics' Consent Management Tool, companies can effectively adhere to global data protection regulations.

Some statistics about Usercentrics:

Active in more than 100 countries
Over 5 years of experience
Processes more than 61 million consents daily

Why is Usercentrics the Best CMP?

The Usercentrics CMP enables the GDPR-compliant collection and management of user consent on websites and applications. Usercentrics itself has no access to the user data, which means that the website operator retains full control over the data collected.

Here are more advantages of the Usercentrics CMP:

Extended categorization of data processing services

In the Usercentrics Consent Management Tool, you can divide all data processing services into the desired categories. This makes the setting of the consent easy and understandable for the user himself.

Granular setting options for the user

The user has the option of controlling each service separately, and can therefore decide to whom data is made available and to whom the access to the data is forbidden.

Settings and languages of the "Cookie Banner" depending on the regional scope

The consent management platform allows consent in more than 50 languages. Based on the IP address, Usercentrics can automatically determine in which language and with which settings the "Cookie Banner" should be displayed to the user.

Advanced management of access rights

Integrating the consent management platform usually requires the involvement of various specialists (IT, marketing, legal department). However, it’s important to remember that the website operator always remains a legally responsible person. Therefore, it’s essential to configure the access rights in the CMP correctly. Usercentrics makes it possible to define the access rights of each employee individually and precisely.

Opt-in rate as a KPI

The website operator has the option of viewing consent statistics in various forms and levels. Based on this, one can decide whether some design or setting changes are needed to increase the opt-in rate or decrease the opt-out rate. If the data is insufficient for a decision, you can set up an A/B test of the "Cookie Banner" within the Usercentrics platform.

Monitoring Function

No online success is possible without constant further development and online marketing. Every website and app is forced to integrate new functionalities and diverse services over and over again to be able to level with competitors. Usercentrics develops its “Cookie Banner” together with the website through an automatic monitoring function. The CMP regularly scans the website to check whether the new integrations want to collect user data.

Why Use a Consent Management Platform?

Building a GDPR-compliant solution yourself is complicated, time-consuming, and difficult to operate sustainably. This requires plenty of resources in various areas, such as law and IT. These departments have to put a lot of time into finding their own solution and afterward for further support according to the constantly changing legal demands and regulations.

This makes it very time-consuming to develop and operate a consent management platform yourself.

What is the Process of a CMP Implementation?

It is of course possible to implement and configure the consent management platform independently. However, especially with more complex systems, you need good technical knowledge of the system and the platform.

alkima WEB & DESIGN ® is a certified Usercentrics partner and is happy to take on all integration processes from A to Z:

Configuration

Design and configure the “Cookie Banner”.

Implementation & Testing

Integrate Usercentrics JavaScript / SDK into a website and test it extensively.

Optimization

Monitor and analyze statistics to optimize the “Cookie Banner”. Perform A/B tests.

Find the answer to your question:

Click on the question to read the answer

What is the GDPR?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a set of EU laws established on May 25, 2018. It looks at how companies collect and handle individuals' private information.

The laws have changed a lot since 2018 and are constantly evolving. Since there are always new amendments, the requirements are constantly changing as well.
What are cookies?
A cookie is a small piece of text information that is either sent from the web server to the browser or created in the browser by a script (e.g., JavaScript). This text information is stored on the user's end device in the browser and is used for subsequent or repeated visits to the website to transmit information to the server or to be read directly by the web server.

The use of a cookie is, for example, to identify the user based on his session ID, to save his shopping cart, or to log in to a web application. One of the most important uses for cookies is web tracking, i.e., the behavior of users on websites.

Make Your Website GDPR-Compliant, Integrate a "Cookie Banner"

When is a “Cookie Banner” Mandatory?

How Does a Website Become GDPR Compliant?

What is a “Cookie Banner”/a Consent Management Platform?

How does the “Cookie Banner” or the consent management platform?