Policy & compliance · also called CMP, Consent management platform, Cookie banner
Consent management (CMP)
Consent management is the process, usually a cookie banner run by a consent management platform, of asking visitors for permission before using their data for ads.
In Europe a website cannot simply drop advertising cookies on a visitor. It has to ask first. A consent management platform (CMP) is the software that shows the banner, records the answer and passes it to ad systems.
Google's EU user consent policy requires publishers using its ad products to obtain consent, where legally required, for cookies or local storage and for the use of personal data for ad personalisation. It applies to visitors in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, and reflects the ePrivacy Directive and GDPR. Publishers can use Google's own CMP, a third-party one or their own dialog.
For arbitrageurs running AdSense for Search or Related Search on Content in Europe, the banner is part of the lander. It adds a step before the related searches, so some visitors leave, and visitors who refuse may see fewer or less valuable ads. That lowers RPV compared with a similar visitor elsewhere, and must be built into the break-even point maths. Tracking tools such as a tracking pixel or Conversions API also need a lawful basis.
Think of it like this
It is the receptionist who asks "may we keep your details on file?" before anything is written down, and keeps a record of what you said.
Related terms
GDPR
GDPR is the European Union's data protection law, which requires a lawful basis, such as consent, before a business processes personal data.
Compliance
Compliance in search arbitrage means running ads, landing pages and traffic in a way that satisfies the feed's rules, the traffic source's rules and the law, all at once.
Tracking pixel
A tracking pixel is a small piece of code on a web page that tells an ad platform, through the visitor's browser, that a page view or action took place.
Conversions API (CAPI)
The Conversions API is Meta's server-to-server interface for sending conversion events and their values to Meta directly, without relying on the visitor's browser.
Geo-targeting
Geo-targeting is restricting an ad campaign to people in chosen countries, regions or cities, and excluding everyone else.
Sources: Google AdSense Help: EU user consent policy, GDPR Article 6: lawfulness of processing