Most consent plugins load Google’s tag on every page view and rely on Consent Mode signals to keep data collection switched off. This plugin does not have to. In its default “Basic” mode the tag is not requested at all until the visitor clicks, so before that decision no connection to googletagmanager.com is made and no data leaves the browser. That is the conservative reading of the GDPR, and here it is a single setting rather than a paid tier.
The “Advanced” mode is the other side of that trade: tags load immediately without cookies and send denied signals, which is what Google’s conversion modeling needs. Pick one per site.
Everything runs on your own server. There is no external CMP service to sign up for, no account, no license key, no phone-home, and no server-side consent log. The whole plugin is under 60 KB of vanilla JavaScript and PHP with no build step, no jQuery and no third-party libraries.
- Google Consent Mode v2: the default for ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization and analytics_storage is always “denied”.
- Google Tag Manager support: configure a GTM container ID (GTM-XXXXXXX) in addition to, or instead of, GA4/Google Ads.
- GA4 (G-XXXX) and optional Google Ads (AW-XXXX) configurable by tag ID.
- Granular categories: visitors can accept all, deny all, or open a details panel and choose Statistics (Google Analytics) and Marketing (Google Ads) individually. Essential is always active.
- Equal “Deny” button (GDPR). Withdrawal any time via the shortcode [geencb_settings_link] or window.geencbShowBanner().
- Open the banner from any footer/menu link: point a custom link to #geencb-settings or give any element the class geencb-open – no shortcode needed.
- Optional imprint link shown next to the privacy policy link inside the banner.
- Automatic theme colors: primary, background and text color can be derived from the active block theme palette, or set manually.
- Themeable via CSS custom properties, so the banner can be restyled from your theme’s Additional CSS without touching plugin files.
- Cache-safe: the stored decision is read client-side from the cookie, so it works behind full-page caches such as WP Super Cache.
- Accessible: keyboard focus moves to the banner on open, Esc dismisses it, focus returns to the previously focused element.
External services
This plugin can load Google tag scripts and thereby transmit data to Google. Nothing is loaded and no data is sent until a tag is configured in the settings.
Which scripts are loaded depends on your configuration:
- Google gtag.js (
https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js) when a GA4 or Google Ads ID is set. - Google Tag Manager gtm.js (
https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js) when a GTM container ID is set.
When the scripts load and what is sent depends on the tag mode:
- Basic mode (default): the scripts load only after the visitor consents (clicks “Accept all” or saves a selection that grants at least one category). Before that, no request reaches Google.
- Advanced mode: the scripts load immediately on page load, without cookies, sending Consent Mode v2 signals (all “denied” until consent). This enables Google’s conversion modeling.
Data transmitted to Google may include the visitor’s IP address, user agent, the page URL, and the current consent state, plus any data collected by Google Analytics, Google Ads or the tags configured in your GTM container. This data is processed by Google. See Google’s Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy) and Google Business Data Responsibility (https://business.safety.google/privacy/).
By using this plugin with a Google tag configured you are responsible for disclosing this data transfer in your own privacy policy.
Legal notes
This plugin provides the technical consent mechanics only. The site operator remains responsible for legal compliance, in particular:
- A complete privacy policy including a section on Google Analytics/Google Ads and the third-country data transfer to the USA (covered by the EU-US Data Privacy Framework).
- Setting the privacy policy link in the settings so it appears directly in the banner.
- Making withdrawal visible and easy: enable the built-in floating revoke button or place the shortcode
[geencb_settings_link]. - There is no server-side consent logging (deliberately lean); if you require documented proof of consent, you need a full consent management platform (CMP).
This plugin does not constitute legal advice.