The year 2026 is changing digital analytics in a fundamental way. User privacy is coming to the fore, and artificial intelligence in advertising campaigns demands ever higher-quality data. Will you adapt your measurement tools to the new trends and rules, or risk fines and the loss of key data for managing campaigns? In this article you will learn how not to lose valuable information while complying with all the regulations.
Summary for Those Who Don’t Have Time to Read the Whole Article
- The cookie banner (CMP) has been mandatory since January 2022. Without valid consent you cannot use analytics or marketing cookies, otherwise you risk sanctions.
- Server-side tracking helps you get higher-quality data despite ad blocking and browser restrictions. Today it is practically a necessity.
- Google, Seznam and Meta require new technical standards. Without Consent Mode v2 and correct passing of consent, your campaigns will not be measured.
- AI campaigns (Performance Max, Advantage+) are only as good as the data behind them.
- Companies that invest in advanced measurement gain a competitive advantage. Better data means more effective targeting and a higher return on investment.
Does it sound too complicated? We’ll help you set up web analytics, the cookie banner and server-side tracking so that you get the maximum amount of data while complying with all the rules.
Why the Cookie Banner Is No Longer Just a Formality
Since 1 January 2022, the rule in the Czech Republic has been that all non-technical cookies may be used only with the user’s prior consent. This applies to Google Analytics, the Facebook Pixel, Sklik measurement and other tools. This obligation is imposed by the European ePrivacy Directive, transposed into the Czech Electronic Communications Act, closely linked to the GDPR.
In practice this means deploying a Consent Management Platform (CMP), that is, a cookie banner, which informs the user about the cookies in use and lets them refuse them as easily as accept them. The Office for Personal Data Protection has made it clear that the “Reject all” button must be equivalent to the “Accept” button.
Without valid consent, cookies cannot be stored. Anyone who breaks this rule risks not only a fine from the Office for Personal Data Protection, but also the suspension of remarketing and conversion measurement by the advertising platforms. In recent years, EU supervisory authorities have issued a number of high fines for poorly implemented cookie banners – for example, in Sweden in 2023 a fine of over 18 million Czech crowns was imposed for the unauthorised deployment of the Facebook Pixel.
Read also: Cookie tips from the analyst’s practice
Technical Requirements of the Platforms
As of 16 January 2024, Google requires websites in the EU that use its tools (ads or analytics) to have a quality cookie banner that meets certain standards. Put simply: your cookie banner must be able to tell Google whether the user has agreed or not agreed to cookies. If your website does not pass this information to Google, Google may block personalised ads and remarketing for you.
Along with this came Google Consent Mode v2 – Google’s new way of handling the situation where the user does not consent to cookies. When a visitor comes to your website and clicks “Reject cookies”, Google learns about it and stops storing any identifying data in the user’s browser. Instead, it sends only basic anonymous information (for example, that someone visited a page), which Google uses to roughly estimate how many people bought from you. Thanks to this, you at least approximately know how your campaigns are performing, even though some users have rejected cookies.
You might be interested in: Google Consent Mode 2.0 from July 2025
Seznam.cz introduced a similar requirement on 1 August 2024. All conversion and retargeting codes on websites must send a consent parameter with a value of 1 or 0. Sklik will stop processing codes without this parameter, so the conversion will not be recorded and the user will not be added to remarketing audiences.
Microsoft Advertising has also announced that from May 2025 it requires a similar consent signal in its UET tracking script for visitors from the EU. Meeting these requirements is now a condition for the full functionality of ads and measurement.
Server-Side Tracking: Saving Your Data
Modern browsers and security tools increasingly restrict traditional client-side tracking = they block third-party cookies (ITP in Safari, third-party cookies in Chrome) and users often use ad blockers. Server-side tracking can partly bypass these restrictions.
Classic measurement works like this: when someone buys on your website, their browser sends this information straight to Google and Facebook. With server-side tracking, the data is first sent to your own server and only then does that server pass it on to Google or Facebook. Why is this better? Ad blockers block communication with your own server much less, because it looks like a normal part of your website rather than third-party tracking.
TIP: Server-side tracking: why it matters especially in Q4
AI Campaigns Need Data
In digital advertising the era of AI-driven campaigns is beginning (Google Performance Max, Meta Advantage+), where you rely on machine learning. As an advertiser you set the basic goals and budget and supply the assets. But the actual delivery of ads is fully optimised by the algorithm.
These systems use advanced artificial intelligence for automated targeting and for selecting creatives in real time. The AI learns from conversion data and, based on it, allocates the budget where it sees the greatest probability of success.
Automated campaigns are only as good as the data you “feed” them. Machine learning algorithms need enough quality information about what happens after a click on your website. If this data is missing or incomplete, the AI is groping in the dark and cannot optimise properly.
Google does use its own conversion modelling to fill some of the gaps, but even so, without accurate measurement you are running campaigns blind. The consequence can be worse campaign performance and a likely drop in return on investment.
Meta explicitly states that for its automated campaigns to run stably it needs as many conversions as possible (up to 50 conversions per ad set is mentioned). Otherwise the campaign stays in the “learning phase” for longer and may temporarily charge a higher cost per result.
How to Make Sure the AI Has Enough Data?
- Google Consent Mode v2 – in advanced mode, even when the user does not consent, it can collect at least anonymised data and use it to calculate the missing conversions through modelling.
- Facebook Conversions API (CAPI) – lets you send conversion information directly from your website’s backend to Facebook’s system. It thus bypasses problems such as deleted cookies, a blocked Pixel script or restrictions on iOS.
- Enhanced Conversions and Advanced Matching – use hashed first-party data (e.g. the email from an order form) to better match conversions across devices, which can increase attribution accuracy (you will better understand which ads lead to a purchase).
Leave the setup of advanced conversion measurement, server-side tracking and the CMP to professionals.
Conclusion
The year 2026 will belong to those who invest in quality measurement and respect user privacy. The cookie banner and server-side tracking are no longer a luxury – they are a necessity for staying competitive in online marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to have a cookie banner even if I only have a small website?
Yes. Since 1 January 2022 a cookie banner has been mandatory for all websites in the Czech Republic that use analytics or marketing cookies (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Sklik measurement, etc.). The only exceptions are technical cookies necessary for the website to function.
What happens if I don’t have the CMP set up correctly?
You risk a fine from the Office for Personal Data Protection for breaching the GDPR. In addition, Google, Meta and Seznam may suspend conversion measurement and remarketing on your website, because you will not meet their technical requirements.
How do I know I have Google Consent Mode v2 set up correctly?
You can verify it using Google Tag Assistant. Check whether the gcs or gcd parameter appears in the requests being sent. Alternatively, ask a digital agency or a web analytics specialist for an audit.
Sources
Google (2023). Transition to Consent Mode v2 for EEA and UK. Google Ads Help. [online] 16 October 2023. Available at: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13886607
Meta (2023). About Conversions API. Meta Business Help Center. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2041148702652965
Google (2024). Enhanced Conversions Overview. Google Ads Help. [online] Available at: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9888656