SiteAud!tLint Support

Warning Tracking & Analytics

Tracking without a consent tool

Severity
Warning
Impact
High
Effort to fix
Medium
Issue code
track_no_consent

Why it matters

Analytics or ad pixels load, but no consent banner tool or Google Consent Mode default was found. Visitors from the EEA, UK and some US states may need to agree first, and Google Ads needs Consent Mode for EEA traffic.

How to fix it

Add a consent management platform (e.g. Cookiebot, CookieYes, OneTrust) and set a Consent Mode default. Check the rules that apply to your visitors.

What this means

The site loads analytics or advertising tools, but SiteAud!tLint found no consent banner tool and no Google Consent Mode default setting on any page. The evidence lists the tools found.

It detects about 20 consent management platforms, including Cookiebot, OneTrust, CookieYes, Usercentrics and Complianz, as well as Consent Mode defaults set in the page or in GTM.

Why it matters

In the EU, the UK and several other regions, non-essential tracking cookies need visitors' consent before they are set. Google also requires Consent Mode for advertisers serving users in the European Economic Area to keep using features such as remarketing and conversion measurement. A site with tracking and no consent mechanism may be out of line with both. This page is not legal advice; check what applies to your audience.

Before you act

  • A custom-built banner may not be detected. If you have one, check that tags actually wait for consent: see Tracking before consent.
  • Sites that only serve regions without consent rules may not need a banner, though Consent Mode is still useful for Google Ads.

How to fix it

  1. Choose a consent management platform that supports Google Consent Mode v2.
  2. Install it so it loads before any tracking, usually as the first tag in GTM.
  3. Set Consent Mode defaults to "denied" for regions that require consent, and connect the banner's choices to your tags.
  4. Declare every tracking tool and cookie in the banner and privacy policy.

Verify the fix

Recrawl with Render JavaScript on in Crawl settings. See Consent checks for what SiteAud!tLint tests.

How it affects your score

Tracking issues have their own Tracking score and never lower the SEO site health score. They still appear in the Action Plan, the issues CSV, Slack messages and Linear tickets. Weakens rankings, crawling or measurement. Fix after critical issues.

Find the affected URLs

Open Crawl > Issues and pick Tracking without a consent tool. Each affected URL is listed with its evidence, and Copy URLs or Export URLs hands the list to a developer. The issue also appears in the Action Plan, ranked by impact (high) and effort (medium), and in the issues CSV under the code track_no_consent. After fixing, run a new audit and use Compare to confirm the URLs moved to fixed.

Guides that cover this issue