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No Cookies for You

What do you know about online cookies? We see them in their annoying, ever-present pop-ups on almost every website we visit and they BEG us to accept them, but what are they? Who is collecting these things? Why does it matter? In this blog, we’ll give a brief breakdown on cookies and a new rollout from Google that will inevitably affect your business.

A human is using their fingers to zoom in on a picture of a cellphone they are looking to buy

In the simplest terms, a “cookie” or “internet cookies” “are text files with small pieces of data — like a username and password — that are used to identify your computer as you use a network. Specific cookies identify specific users and improve their web browsing experience” (usa.kaspersky.com). Depending on your location, some locations require you to accept cookies under a special umbrella such as the European Union (GDPR) and California (California Consumer Privacy Act or CCPA).

These can be used for tracking, sharing information between sites, and making your general online experience more user-friendly. 

For example,

Imagine you enter a library to borrow a book. You approach the librarian at the counter, hand over your library card, and check out a book. In the library’s system, information about the borrowed book, such as its title and due date, is linked to your library card. This information is stored in the library’s database.

Your library card acts as a “ticket” that identifies you as the borrower of that particular book. The card has a unique code assigned to you, ensuring that it’s specific to your library account. The librarian then hands you back the library card, which now serves as a record of your book-borrowing activity.

As you leave the library, you take the book and your library card with you. The card, holding the book-related data, is essentially your “cookie.” You decide to return the next week to borrow another book. When you present your library card, the librarian retrieves your book history using the unique code on your card.

In the context of internet cookies, the library card is comparable to a cookie, and the book-related data is akin to the information stored on the cookie. Each time you visit the library (website), your browser (library card) carries the cookie with your unique ID. The website then reads this ID to assemble your borrowing history.

These cookies are valuable for marketers and companies, alike to ascertain user data and habits.

To further prod into this, there are a variety of cookies that are used when collecting data. For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on 1st party data and 3rd-party cookies.

1st party data: First party data is the information you directly collect from your audience when they visit your website. This can come from subscriptions, social information, surveys, etc. 

3rd party cookies: Third party data cookies are third party websites collecting information from users visiting a website. They collect your information and give it to other platforms (such as advertisers). This cookie tracks preferences to improve website performance, gauge analytics and personalize web suggestion for you.

Why does this matter? 

On 1/4/23, the browser Chrome disabled cookies for 1% of users on for the initial testing of their cookie-less browser. Google estimates that by the end of Q3 of 2024, approximately 9/30/23, this cookie-less browser is expected to roll out for 100% of Chrome users. 

According to StatCounter, “Google’s Chrome is the world’s most popular internet browser, accounting for 63 percent of web usage.” This means that for marketers and small businesses, it’s going to be more challenging to track user data for advertising and alternative methods should be supplemented to gather user data, while still remaining compliant with legal requirements (developers.google.com)

What can you do today to mitigate these changes?

1.)  Ensure you are using HTTPS tracking links on your back end to maintain security for you and your client’s websites. 

2.) Focus on your 1st party method of data collection. This means building a solid landing page, having a CRM to collect data and nurturing your subscriber list.

Is there a silver lining to this?

Many individuals believe that this shift could have positive long-term implications. The internet is always evolving to enhance its efficiency, and this move seems like a natural step forward for a better online experience. It encourages businesses to connect with their customers more directly, eliminating the reliance on third-party applications. Users, in turn, can find empowerment in knowing that an additional layer of protection is in place, enhancing their overall security and peace of mind. Implementing safeguards to ensure privacy contributes to making the internet a safer space for everyone.

Not to mention, are you really going to miss the cookie pop-ups? 

References

https://www.cookieyes.com/blog/third-party-cookies/https://developers.google.com/privacy-sandbox/blog/cookie-countdown-2024jan#:~:text=As%20of%204th%20January%202024,directory%20constitutes%20a%20distinct%20client

https://impact.com/marketing-intelligence/what-the-new-google-chrome-privacy-updates-mean-for-you

https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/cookies