How to Be Legit With Your Cookies
Tip #6 For Managing a Pharmaceutical or Biotech Website Redesign
TL:DR: Keep Google, your visitors and regulators happy. Use a consent management platform (CMP) and GTM.
The situation: Your pharmaceutical or biotechnology company is small but growing. Something noteworthy is happening so it’s time for the next level of website.
Since your pharma company is growing – you’re going to want to get your online analytics in order. A website redesign project is the perfect time to do it!
But, since we’re in a highly regulated industry, risk must be reduced. So, let’s take a look at one fairly active area (legally speaking): cookies.
Here’s the rule: You must get consent before your website can start dropping cookies and gathering user data. And you must give site visitors the ability to review and change their consent.
Fortunately, there are good solutions to help your company manage this complex issue. Namely, consent management platforms (CMP) like Cookiebot, OneTrust, CookieYes and others. Also, Google Tag Manager is an important (free) service that you’ll need once you get active with your marketing.
Here’s a quick outline of cookie management and how it connects to Google Tag Manager (GTM):
- Why it matters: Many sites must get user consent before using non-essential cookies (they’re used for analytics, ads, remarketing).
- What a consent management platform does:
- Shows a consent banner (users must accept/reject/customize)
- Records consent choices (and sometimes region-based rules)
- Controls when tags are allowed to fire
- Lets you manage other personal data issues
- How GTM fits in:
- GTM can stop analytics/marketing tags from dropping until consent is granted
- Consent status can be passed into GTM to decide what runs
- This helps you stay compliant and keeps your tracking cleaner (less “phantom” data)
The Big Idea: A consent management platform + GTM prevents accidentally collecting data you shouldn’t, while still letting you measure what you’re permitted to measure. That reduces legal risk.
The Cookie Stack!
Marketers love a “stack,” so here it is:
- Google Search Console: GSC tells you how people find you via search and what Google can/can’t index.
- Google Analytics 4: GA4 tells you what those people do once they arrive (that means engagement + conversions, which you should measure).
- Google Tag Manager: GTM makes it easy to implement and maintain tracking (and user consent processes) over time.
- Consent management platforms ensure tags only run when allowed and improves data integrity.
Your company’s policies should be reviewed by legal, regulatory or compliance folks, but the technology is established and manageable. And all the Google stuff is free!
Got questions about website cookies, GTM and how to implement this stuff? Let us know!
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