How to Track Cookies on A Website?

In our earlier blogs, we have already discussed website cookies. Now, we will try to understand the steps to track them. We know that cookies are small pieces of stored data on users’ devices that allow websites to remember the preferences of users, their login details, and their browsing history.

Now, we will check how one can track cookies to improve user experience and offer crucial information to optimize websites. This would also allow for proper cookie management in compliance with CCPA and GDPR (data protection laws) for minimal interference with users’ privacy.

How To Track Cookies On Your Website?

In this article, we will talk in detail about each stage of cookie tracking without sacrificing compliance. Let’s check it out!

Step 1: Implement a Cookie Consent Manager

The very first step of cookie tracking is to ensure that users are completely aware of the intentions behind cookie tracking. They should know that they have to provide consent for the same. Therefore, it is required to inform the users regarding the cookies that are going to be tracked.

This would provide them with the chance to either provide consent or opt out of the same. A CMP is therefore necessary to ensure proper awareness of the users and which cookies they are comfortable receiving.

• Implement a Cookie Consent Management Platform (CMP): A CMP is a tool that automatically deploys consent pop-ups or banners on the first visit by the user to your site, thus explaining to the visitor all the different types of cookies used on your website including necessary, functional, and marketing cookies. This is important in terms of privacy compliance for Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation.
• Customize the Consent Banner: Most CMPs allow you to design the consent banner or pop-up in the style of your website. You can make it look however you wish and even select the language used that communicates to visitors your cookie policy. Some CMPs facilitate granular choice where individuals enable some types of cookie categories or disable them based on specific individual preferences.
• Facilitate Easy Consent Control: Besides the initial pop-up, make sure users can have control over their preferences at any point via a privacy or cookie settings link.

Step 2: Use GTM (Google Tag Manager)

Now, the GTM will help you streamline the cookie-tracking process, and it will do so by tracking website scripts without getting into the details of the code.

• Cookie Tags and Triggers: With the help of GTM, you can create cookie tags that would help you manage different tracking purposes. Also, you can create triggers that would help you with when the tags should be activated. For example, you can simply set a tag to monitor and track down user interactions including clicks, page views, etc., and then set triggers to track down cookies only when any action has been taken. This allows you to selectively track cookies based on users’ interactions.
• Customized HTML Tags: You can make use of GTM’s customized HTML tags to make your cookie-tracking process a bit more advanced. This will give you a high degree of flexibility in handling cookies exactly how you would like based on the requirements of your website, including form submission and multi-step actions on a page-to-page basis.

Suggested Read: How To Check Cookies In Browsers?

Step 3: JavaScript for Cookie Creation and Tracking

For customized cookie management, you need to use some JavaScript to create and retrieve the cookies on your website. JavaScript is just a common programming language that will allow you to store data and manage it directly on the browser, in the form of cookies.

Create and Store Cookies: Cookies are created in JavaScript using the document.cookie object. Each cookie is a key-value pair, and cookies include parameters like expiration date and path that define how it behaves and for how long.

Here’s a basic example: Javascript document.cookie = "username=JohnDoe; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2024 12:00:00 UTC; path=/"

This will create a cookie called username with a value of JohnDoe, and it will expire on December 18, 2024.

It will also consist of Security Flags, i.e., The Secure, HttpOnly, and SameSite flags to make cookies secure.

• Secure: This ensures the cookie will be sent only via an HTTPS connection, thereby preventing access by possible attackers over a network that isn’t secure.
• HttpOnly: Prevents cookies from being accessed by scripts on the websites; cross-site scripting attacks are kept at a minimum.
• SameSite: Prevents cookies from being sent with requests made cross-site to limit exposure to various specified attacks.

Step 4: Make Use of Analytical Tools

Analytical Tools allow you to have crucial insights regarding how user engagement on different websites. This includes data regarding popular pages, traffic patterns, and their online habits. Apart from that, some of the analytic tools also help track user sessions via cookies and figure out returning visitors to your website.

• Analytical Tool Integration: Herein, integrate different analytical tools including Hotjar, Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and more to have access to deeper insights. For example, Google Analytics would help you to track different metrics like session duration, page views, and bounce rates. Likewise, Hotjar would present you with session recordings and heat maps. Similarly, Mixpanel would help you analyze user engagement. This will let you track particular events like clicks, form submissions, etc.
• Set Tracking Limit: Customize your analytical tools while complying with privacy standards. For instance, GA (Google Analytics) can be personalized to anonymize the details of IP addresses. This will allow the tool to track data only of those users that have provided consent to be tracked. Therefore, the data of those users who have not provided consent, would not be recorded.

Suggested Read: How to View Cookies In Google Analytics (GA4)?

Step 5: Server-Side Cookie Tracking

Server-side tracking of cookies is a replacement for client-side tracking. This means that the data would be collected on the server directly rather than being collected on the users’ browser. Therefore, it is more reliable as it doesn’t depend much on browsers’ settings. Also, it would reduce issues that occur on the client’s end. For example, using private modes, clearing cookies, etc.

Server-Side Tracking on Backend: In general, server-side cookie tracking usually requires server-side coding as well as setting up the server infrastructure. This would allow you to collect user information that would otherwise be blocked on the client’s end, i.e., ad blockers.

Step 6: Adherence to Laws Related to Privacy

Tracking cookies is highly sensitive and is bound by data protection laws. If you break that, there is heavy damage waiting for you and, most likely you can even lose your customer’s trust.

• Specify the cookie purposes: Most privacy laws insist on transparency. So, in your privacy policy, list out all those cookies that are used in your website and their purposes in your portal. Mention whether they are related to functionalities, analytics, or marketing purposes. The users would then become much more aware of the reason behind data usage and feel confident to provide consent.
• Periodic Review: Periodically review the cookie usage on your website to make sure you are compliant. Over time, you would most likely add new tools or features that use cookies. So, do not forget to update your cookie consent manager as well as your privacy policy.
• Opt-out Mechanisms: In addition to opt-in consent, an opt-out mechanism should allow a user to withdraw consent once the user decides that he does not want to be targeted for advertisements anymore. This would give an impression of valuing privacy.

Conclusion

It is highly important to track cookies on a website because it can understand users’ behavior and improve functionality. However, it should be done responsibly. Using GTM and JavaScript, cookie tracking software will help you achieve that. Moreover, showing respect to user preferences by carrying out periodic audits as well as clear policies and respecting the privacy laws shows respect.