In January 2024, Google began rolling out Tracking Protection, a new feature that deprecates third-party cookies to limit cross-site tracking. This move, which is part of the search engine’s Privacy Sandbox initiative, currently affects about 1% of Chrome users (or 30 million people). Later in the year, Google plans to expand the restrictions to 100% of Chrome users, spelling the end of third-party cookies as we know them.
While the changes have been hailed as positive news for privacy-focused web users, they mean brands, marketers, and web developers will have to adapt and prepare for a future without third-party cookies.
For Google, this move has been in the works since 2020 and is now seeing the light of day as a feature of its Privacy Sandbox package. Privacy Sandbox focuses both on protecting the privacy of web users and on giving companies the tools to build thriving businesses while keeping online content free.
As a brand, business, organisation or web developer, how should you go about preparing for the end of third-party cookies, and what can you replace them with?
As a digital agency, Anchor has seen Google go through a lot of changes over the years and has consulted many clients on the future of third-party cookies. Here’s what Google’s privacy initiative means for your organisation and how to prepare for change in 2024.
What Is the Future of Third-Party Cookies?
Google’s goal with the Privacy Sandbox is to reduce cross-site and cross-app tracking while retaining the functionality that keeps content and services freely accessible. Rather than disabling all cookies in one fell swoop, Google’s long-term approach is to slowly phase out third-party cookies while developing new technologies for privacy-focused alternatives.
The Privacy Sandbox project has a suite of new features that have already undergone significant testing and development. Some, like the Storage Access API, are supported across all major browsers.
So, what is the future of third-party cookies? By mid-2024, Google will remove them entirely, and websites will no longer be able to use them to track web users across different sites. Although third-party cookies will be permanently blocked, first-party cookies will still operate normally. However, in most cases, they will require user consent unless it’s essential for the website to function.
Understanding the Role of Third-Party Cookies
Web cookies have a long and detailed history, and their purpose and usage have evolved over time.
Netscape employee Lou Montulli introduced web cookies in 1994. Cookies are small blocks of data created by web servers. They are designed to store tiny bits of information on users' computers that the server can “access” to remember certain details about the user (e.g., their preferences, logins, or shopping cart contents).
In the early 2000s, online advertising was on the rise and cookies were increasingly used to track users across different websites and show them targeted ads. Due to concerns about privacy, the European Union introduced the e-Privacy Directive in 2003, giving users the choice to opt out of having their data collected. In 2009, the directive was updated, requiring websites to get “explicit consent” from users before storing or accessing cookies.
In 2012, Google introduced the Do Not Track (DNT) header, a setting that users can enable in their web browsers that tells cookies not to store any data about the user.
While concerns about privacy have always been part and parcel, cookies have become a common fixture on the Internet and nearly all websites use harmless cookies to improve the user experience. However, like all forms of technology, cookies continue to evolve and the end of third-party cookies in 2024 is set to become another significant moment in their history.
What This Means for Marketers, Businesses & Advertisers
If you’re a brand, web developer, or digital marketer, you’ve probably already seen an increase in users on your site with disabled third-party cookies. Businesses, advertisers, and marketers will have to adapt to new, more privacy-focused ways of dealing with potential customers, such as first-party data collection or contextual advertising. Digital advertising will still be part of a future without third-party cookies, but privacy will now be a fundamental priority.
How to Prepare For the End of Third-Party Cookies
Here are the steps that marketers, advertisers and businesses should take when preparing for the end of third-party cookies in 2024:
Understand third-party cookie phase-out
Learn more about the timeline of Google’s deprecation of third-party cookies and what steps you need to take to preserve your website’s functionality.
Audit your use of cookies
Review your cookies, listing those that will require action in order to continue functioning properly.
Test for breakage
Set up Chrome to block third-party cookies. Enable new functionality and mitigations to simulate the state after the phase-out.
Migrate to privacy-preserving solutions
Once you’ve identified the cookies with issues, you can pick a solution from options like CHIPS, which lets you opt for a cookie in partitioned storage. Another choice is Storage Access API, which allows iframes to request storage access permissions that browser settings would otherwise ignore.
Use a variety of new targeted approaches
There are a variety of alternatives to third-party cookies on the scene that you can begin testing and incorporating into your approach.
Emerging Alternatives to Third-Party Cookies
In recent years, a number of technologies, innovations and practices have emerged as viable alternatives to third-party cookies. Some of the best available options for collecting customer data and targeting advertising without third-party cookies include:
First-party cookies
The original cookie for remembering user information on the Internet, first-party cookies are still around. As first-party cookies are only active when users visit particular sites, they offer fewer privacy risks than the third-party kind. However, they can still help site owners create custom advertising campaigns.
Device fingerprint
A device fingerprint uses unique information about a user’s device, such as device model, screen resolution and fonts, to create a “fingerprint” identifying a user. You can use this fingerprint to gather information about users even when privacy measures like VPNs are in place, and it doesn’t depend on cookies.
Contextual targeting
Contextual targeting uses algorithms to show users ads that are relevant to the page they’re currently visiting (e.g. targeting ads for coats or shoes to users on a fashion site). Contextual targeting is an effective way to reach web users likely to be interested in a particular topic or product without asking for their personal data.
Mobile advertising IDs
A mobile advertising ID is a series of random symbols assigned to mobile devices so advertisers can target them on mobile websites and apps. Mobile advertising IDs can also be helpful in improving user experiences.
Gain Expert Insights with Anchor
Cookies or no cookies, Anchor can increase your brand’s visibility to the people who will benefit from your products the most. With personalised, data-driven pay-per-click management, we can make sure you’re investing money and time where it will benefit your brand. We use four key platforms to get results: Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn and Bing, with techniques that maintain the privacy of web users.
As a creative digital marketing agency helping purpose-driven businesses grow, Anchor has witnessed a lot of changes in our time. We’ve mastered the art of embracing trends and new innovations without losing sight of the timeless principles that have always driven ranking and conversions.
Anchor will provide you with a dedicated account manager, full transparency, 24/7 project access, and comprehensive monthly reports. We’ll offer our expert insights into your performance and deliver clear rundowns of your results without the jargon.
To become even better at finding your people and meeting their needs, even without the use of third-party cookies, drop us a line.
