You don’t need an ugly cookie banner on your site

Emphasis on 'ugly'
Words by
Rob Morrisby

You wouldn’t carefully curate a colour palette for a new brand and then quickly copy/paste in a logo from ClipArt. And you wouldn’t create a custom presentation only to add in those bizarrely noisy PPT slide transition animations. So why design a flawless and functional site and then slap an ugly, generic cookie consent banner right across the top of it? 

Yes, websites need to comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other data protection laws – but that doesn’t mean your site’s aesthetic should suffer.

Why Avoid Third-Party Cookie Banners?

Many businesses opt for platforms like CookieYes or OneTrust, thinking it’s the easiest way to achieve compliance. But here’s how that cookie really crumbles:

  • Blandly obtrusive: They rarely blend well with your site’s design, disrupting the user experience.
  • Slow loading: They can impact the performance of your site with unnecessary scripts and tracking mechanisms.
  • Privacy infringing: Some third-party banners actually track users themselves (counterintuitive, much?)
  • Continually costly: Many require ongoing subscriptions for full functionality.

The Better Alternative: A Custom Cookie Banner

We’ve developed a lightweight, fully compliant cookie banner solution that integrates directly with Google Tag Manager and Google Consent Mode. Here’s how it works:

  1. Minimal & Aesthetic Design: Unlike bloated third-party banners, our solution is fully customizable to match your brand. On our own website (jambi.digital), we went ultra-minimal, displaying just the word ‘cookies?’ with a thumbs-up and thumbs-down icon. This keeps it visually appealing without sacrificing compliance.
  2. Direct GTM Integration: Instead of relying on an external platform, our banner controls consent settings directly within Google Tag Manager. Depending on a user’s choices, GTM dynamically loads or blocks specific scripts.
  3. Full GDPR & CCPA Compliance: By leveraging Google Consent Mode, we ensure that analytics, advertising, and tracking scripts only fire when legally allowed.
  4. No Extra Costs or Performance Issues: Since it’s part of your website’s existing code, there’s no third-party subscription or unnecessary external scripts slowing things down.

Why This Matters

Your website should provide the best experience for visitors while staying legally compliant. A custom cookie banner lets you:

  • Maintain a professional, cohesive design
  • Reduce reliance on third-party tools
  • Improve site performance
  • Ensure complete compliance without unnecessary complexity

If you’re currently using a clunky, off-brand cookie banner – or worse, no banner at all – it’s time to consider a better alternative. Let’s build a custom cookie consent solution that looks great and works flawlessly for your site. 

Get in touch with Rob today on rob@jambi.digital