Cookie banners are usually as beautiful as trash on the beach. You come to a well-designed website, are impressed by the messaging in the hero section and then it flickers up briefly and everything is covered up. What happened? The annoying consent banner (also known as a “cookie banner”) once again wants your consent so that your own data may be collected through Google Analytics, the Meta-Pixel and many other tools. But, as if that wasn't enough, the reject button is also hidden or not even visible. So you open up the complicated settings, deactivate all categories and click save settings. In the meantime, you have lost interest in the website again and leave the page again after a short scrolling.
The problem with cookie banners on websites
I don't need to explain here that cookie banners haven't necessarily made the Internet more user-friendly. But of course, they have an important and correct function: consent must be given before data is tracked. This consent must also be revocable. (You should also note that you not only need consent for cookies, but also for data transfer to a country without an adequacy decision, as well as for storing information in the terminal device, e.g. the PC or access to it through other technologies, i.e. without the use of cookies. However, our article should primarily be about cookies, as this is still one of the most widely used technologies).
What problems do cookie banners cause, even if they are implemented correctly (which they usually aren't as a small disclaimer).
1. Problem: Cookie banners vs. user experience and conversions
The obvious problem is immediately apparent when loading a website: Cookie banners rarely look really good, interfere with overlays and cover large areas thus reduce the user experience on websites. This can be so extreme that cookie banners lead to high bounce rates and thus lead to reduced conversion rates from site visitors to potential customers.
2nd problem: Cookie banners vs. loading times
The second problem is already apparent when loading the website. The reason: every external tool that is integrated into websites reduces the loading speed of a website. Some cookie tools are lighter (and therefore faster) than others. But all of them result in a slower charging speed. This in turn enhances the effect from the first section and ensures an increased bounce rate. According to Google, > 30% of visitors jump off when a website takes more than 2 seconds to load.
3rd problem: Cookie banners vs. data accuracy
If you change your perspective to marketers, cookie banners are also a big problem here. The reason: only a few people agree to cookies. All people who reject tracking are therefore not recorded - the data is therefore lost and Google Analytics or Facebook only show a fraction of all real visitor data. This distorts marketing campaigns and makes data unreliable.
How can I avoid a cookie banner on my Webflow website?
In principle, this section applies to all websites that do not set cookies, i.e. not just specific to Webflow. But the good news first: Websites that do not set cookies do not need consent for this either - therefore: the cookie banner is omitted.
It is important to mention that there are an extremely large number of tools that set cookies. Cookies therefore do not always have to be tracking cookies, but can also be functional in nature. Apart from strictly necessary cookies, consent must always be obtained.
Conversely, what does this mean for you: if you don't use any external tools AND your CMS doesn't set cookies, you don't need a cookie banner. If you've built your website in Webflow, we've got good news for you here: Webflow doesn't set cookies itself. So you can build and publish your website with Webflow and don't need a consent banner in the raw form.
Very important: Sometimes cookies are placed somewhat hidden or are only on sub-pages and are then overlooked during testing. We are not lawyers and are only presenting the technical perspective here. If you want to be absolutely sure whether your website is setting cookies and whether you need a consent banner, talk to a data protection lawyer and have your website professionally checked.
Where can I see whether cookies are being set on my website?
There are a few ways to find out whether a website is placing cookies. The easiest way, especially for less tech-savvy users, is a cookie scanner. These are available from various providers and they work more or less well. To find a suitable tool, simply Google it.
The technical version works via the so-called Google Chrome developer console. To do this, navigate to your own website (mind you in Google Chrome) and “right click” on “Investigate.” Then open the “Application” tab and under the Cookies dropdown, you can now see the list of services that are placed on the website. If the list is empty, the website does not set any cookies.
Do I have to stop tracking if I don't want a cookie banner?
Not at all. There are now many tracking tools that do not require cookies and provide you with all relevant data in compliance with data protection regulations. An alternative to Google Analytics and the Meta-Oixel from Germany is pirsch.io. Prowl tracks your website visitors completely without cookies and you have the best of both worlds: a website without cookie banners and all the data you need to determine the effectiveness and number of visitors to your website.
Another really good advantage: thanks to cookie-free tracking, you don't need consent and receive 100% of the data. Without distortions caused by opt-outs, as can result from rejecting cookies. However, this is something to consider. You must always provide the user with the option to opt out for tracking, even if consent is not required.
Pirsch is also super lightweight, meaning it barely reduces the loading time of your website and can be quickly and fully integrated into your Webflow website in compliance with GDPR. We described how this works in detail in our partner article with Frame for Business here: https://frame-for-business.de/blog/tracking-tool-pirsch-datenschutzkonform-einsetzen/