Few things annoy website visitors more than a cookie banner that covers half the screen, hides the "reject" option behind three clicks and reappears on every page. Yet many small business websites have one, often copied from somewhere else, and quite a few do not actually follow the rules they are meant to satisfy.
Here is what matters, explained simply. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
What the rules ask for
In the UK, the rules on cookies come from the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, alongside UK GDPR, and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) publishes guidance on them. In short:
- Strictly necessary cookies (for example, keeping a shopping basket or a login working) do not need consent.
- Most other cookies, including analytics and advertising, need the visitor's consent before they are set.
- Consent must be a clear, active choice. Pre-ticked boxes or "by continuing to browse you agree" do not count.
- Rejecting should be as easy as accepting.
- People should be able to change their mind later.
What a fair banner looks like
- Small and out of the way, for example in a corner, so visitors can still read the page.
- Two equal buttons, "Accept" and "Decline", side by side, the same size and style.
- One sentence saying what the cookies are for, with a link to your privacy policy.
- Nothing loaded before a choice. Analytics and similar tools should only start after "Accept".
- A way to change the choice later, such as a link on your privacy page.
- Remembered. Once someone chooses, do not ask again on every page.
Common mistakes
- The tracking starts anyway. The banner appears, but the analytics code has already loaded in the background. This is the most common problem, and the most serious.
- "Accept" is a big bright button, "Reject" is a grey link. Nudging people towards one option is exactly what the guidance says not to do.
- A wall of toggles. Forty switches for "partners" nobody has heard of, on a small business website, usually means far more tracking than the business needs.
- No way to withdraw. Once accepted, there is no visible way to change the choice.
Do you need a banner at all?
Not always. If your website only uses strictly necessary cookies and cookie-free statistics, you may not need a consent banner. Many small businesses add tools they never look at. Ask yourself which reports you actually read, and remove the rest.
How we handle it on our own website
On wisecoda.com, a small banner in the corner offers "Accept" and "Decline" as equal buttons. Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity load only after "Accept", and if someone later withdraws consent, the tools are switched off and their cookies removed. Basic, cookie-free statistics cover everyone else, so we still know which pages are useful without tracking anyone who said no.
If you would like your website's cookies checked, or a banner that follows the rules without getting in the way, get in touch. It is also worth reading which numbers actually matter before adding another tracking tool.