These days, it’s almost impossible to visit a website without being prompted to accept cookies. The reason behind this is the GDPR, which mandates obtaining cookie consent from visitors. Cookies gather visitor information, and the GDPR was established to protect that data.
Unfortunately, WordPress doesn’t come with a built-in cookie notice feature, so you’ll need to use a plugin to add one.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to do it using the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin.
What Is GDPR?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is European legislation designed to protect user data within the EU. It safeguards all data collected from individuals in the EU. Despite being European legislation, it impacts websites worldwide.
Regardless of your website’s origin, if you collect data from EU residents, you could face fines up to 20 million Euros (about 24 million dollars).
Even if you don’t specifically target or conduct business in the EU, this regulation requires you to change how you collect information.
How to Use GDPR Cookie Consent
The GDPR Cookie Consent plugin is straightforward in its purpose: it asks visitors for consent to use cookies. It also offers a range of customization options to match your website’s design.
Note: Simply installing this plugin does not make your website GDPR compliant. You’ll need to configure it properly based on the cookies your site uses.
Step 1: Install the GDPR Cookie Consent Plugin
Begin by navigating to the Plugins section and selecting the “Add New” option in the left-hand admin panel.
In the “Add New” plugins page, locate the search box on the right-hand side. Type “GDPR Cookie Consent” into the search box. This will display a list of relevant plugins that might be useful for your website.
Scroll through the list of plugins until you find the “GDPR Cookie Consent” plugin. Once you locate it, click the “Install Now” button. After the installation is complete, click “Activate” to enable the plugin on your website.
Step 2: Modify the Plugin Settings
In the left-hand admin panel, find and click on “GDPR Cookie Consent.” Then, select the “Cookie Law Settings” option to customize the plugin according to your website’s needs.
In the “Cookie Law Settings” section, you’ll find all the general settings for the plugin, including options for cosmetic changes like colors. These settings are organized into five tabs.
General
- The first option allows you to toggle the cookie bar on or off. By default, it is turned on and should remain so to ensure you are asking visitors for their consent.
- Next, choose the appearance of the cookie bar. You have three options: a banner, a popup, or a widget. Select the one that best fits your website’s design.
Below this, you can decide where you want the cookie bar to appear on your site. The options available will depend on the appearance type you selected previously (banner, popup, or widget).
The remaining options in this section control the behavior of the cookie bar. Review these settings carefully and choose the ones that best suit your needs. Once you’ve made your selections, click the “Update Settings” button to save your changes.
Customize Cookie Bar
In this tab, you can tailor the message displayed on the cookie bar. It’s advisable to keep the default message to avoid potential issues from miswording or unclear explanations.
You also have the option to adjust the color of the cookie bar and the text color to match your website’s design.
I recommend using the same colors as those on your website for the cookie bar to ensure it blends seamlessly with your site’s design. Similarly, choose a font that matches your theme for consistency.
Don’t forget to save your changes when you’re finished.
Customize Buttons
The plugin provides four buttons that you can customize individually. This includes adjusting the text on each button, changing the button and text colors, and modifying the button size.
Ensure that all buttons match your website’s color scheme and font for consistency. After making your adjustments, remember to save your settings.
Advanced
The “Advanced” tab provides a single option: to delete all settings and reset the plugin. If you need to start over, this is where you can do that.
Help Guide
In the “Help Guide” tab, you’ll find a list of shortcodes and button margins, along with helpful links to better understand how the plugin functions.
Entering Cookies
To manage your cookies, go to the “Entering Cookies” section. Click the “Add New” button to input all the necessary cookie information.
Policy Generator
The “Policy Generator” tab displays the default messages generated by the plugin. While you can modify these messages, it’s usually best to leave them as is to avoid mistakes. If needed, you can also add new messages using the “Add New” option, though this is rare.
Non-necessary Cookies
This section allows you to request consent for cookies that aren’t essential for your website’s operation. This option is enabled by default. You can modify the message if needed, but it’s typically best to leave it as is.
Necessary Cookies & Privacy Overview
Here, you can customize the message that appears for cookies essential to your website’s functionality, though no action is needed if you’re just using the default settings. The “Privacy Overview” section provides a message explaining your cookie policy, which you can adjust if desired.
Step 3: View It On Your Website
Once you’ve configured all settings, the final step is to view the cookie consent notice on your site. Visit your website to see the GDPR cookie consent notification in the position you selected.
If you’re not satisfied with how the cookie consent bar looks, you can always return to the settings to make further adjustments.
Congratulations on setting up the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and ensuring your website complies with EU regulations!
Why Do I Need to Ask Visitors to Consent to Cookies?
Cookies are small data files that store personal information about visitors. For instance, if you add an item to your cart on an online store, that information is saved in a cookie. When you return to the site, the item will still be in your cart, saving you time.
However, GDPR aims to protect all user information, including what is stored in cookies. The regulation mandates that websites must seek visitor consent before collecting this data.
That’s why you see cookie consent requests on most websites when you visit them for the first time.
Better Safe Than Sorry
The hefty fines for non-compliance with GDPR are significant and can spell disaster for any site not backed by a large corporation. Fortunately, staying compliant is relatively straightforward, though it does require some effort.
Despite the GDPR being in place since 2018, WordPress hasn’t introduced built-in features for compliance. Instead, you’ll need to use a cookie notice plugin like the GDPR Cookie Consent.
Do you think WordPress should offer built-in GDPR compliance tools? Did you find the plugin easy to use?